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New  Netherland 

AND 

The  United  States 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA.  SAN  DIEGO 


3  1822  02700  7541 


I       111! 


OKIVt.  „IU  OF 

CALIFORNIA 

SAN  DIEGO 


oj) 


NOORDHOFF  , 
EKH-OITGEVER 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA.  SAN  DIEGO 


3  1822  02700  7541 


C 


Social  Sciences  &  Humanities  Library 

University  of  California,  San  Diego 
Please  Note:  This  item  is  subject  to  recall. 

Date  Due 

DECTTTOOO" 


— \ 
— \ 


1609-1909 


the  dutch  in 
New    Netherland 

AND 

The   United   States 


PRESENTED  BY 

The  Netherland  Chamber  of  Commerce 
in  America 

ON  OCCASION  OF 

The  Hudson-Fulton  Celebration 
in  New  York 

SEPTEMBER  25TH  TO  OCTOBER  9TH 
1909 


Nieuw  Nederlatif  is  cen  seer  schoon  aen- 
genaeni  gesont  en  lustigh  lantschap  doer 
het  voor  alderley  slagh  van  tnenscheft  be- 
teren  ruynter  aen  de  kost  of  geniackelyck- 
er  door  de  zverelt  te  geraken  is  als  in  Ne- 
derlant  offle  eenige  andere  quartieren  des 
werelts  tnyn  bekent. 

Adriaen  van  der  Donck,  1656. 


Copyrighted 

The  Netherland  Chamber  of  Commerce 

IN  America 

1909 


CONTENTS 

Page 

Directors  of  the  Chamber            ...        -  5 

Constitution  of  the  Chamber      -         -         -         -  7 

Contract  vnth  Henry  Hudson    -        -        -        -  14 

(original  text) 

Contract  with  Henry  Hudson    -         -         -         -  16 

(English  Translation) 
The  Dutch  in  New  Netherland 

and  The  United  States         .        .        .        -  19-73 

New  Netherland 

Exploration  of  the  Hudson  in  1609      -         -  19 
Fur  traders  1609-1612            .         .         -         -  20 
Block's  exploration  of  Long  Island  Sound 
and  formation  of  the  United  New  Nether- 
land Company 20 

Chartering  of  the  West  India  Co.  in  1621   -  22 
First  settlers  arrived  under  leadership  of 

Jesse  de  Forest          -----  22 

Claims  of  Holland  and  England           -         -  23 

Captain  May,  first  head  of  the  Colony         -  24 

Pieter  Minuit,  first  Governor      -         -         -  24 

Erection  of  Fort  Amsterdam       -        -        -  25 
Patroons  and  the  Act  of  Privileges 

and  Exemptions        -----  26 

Settlement  of  Rensselaerv.-yk      -         -         -  28 
Wouter  van  Twiller,  second  Governor  and 

arrival  of  the  first  garrison       -        -        -  28 

Origin  of  Governor's  Island        -         -         -  29 

Troubles  with  the  English  in  CouneLticut  30 

Governor  Kieft  and  the  Indian  Wars          -  32 

Bronk's  Treaty     ------  35 

Pieter  Stuyvesant  appointed  Governor        -  36 

Religious  intolerance  of  the  Governor         -  37 

The  patroons  and  the  Governor           -         -  38 

The  capture  of  New  Sweden        -        -        -  40 

Fall  of  New  Netherland       -        -        -        -  41 

Anton  van  Korlaer  and  Spuyteu  Duyvel     -  43 
Recapture  by  the  Dutch       .         -        -        -  44 
New  Netherland  exchanged  for  Surinam  44 
The  Dutch  and  English  people  and  repre- 
sentative Government      -        -        -        -  45 

Religious  freedom  and  Public  Schools        -  46 

The  Church  and  the  Dutch  Domines           -  47 


CONTENTS  (Continued) 

Pagb 

The  Democratic  Dutch         -        -        -        -  47 

Troubles  of  the  housewives          -        -        -  48 

The  remaining  years  of  Stuyvesant     -         -  49 

The  Dutch  under  English  rule              -         -  49 

King  James  II.  dethroned           -        -        -  50 

The  Jacob  Leisler  episode             -        -        -  51 

Ivcisler  and  his  son-in-law  executed    -        -  52 

Destruction  of  Schenectady          -         -         -  53 

Captain  Kidd -  54 

Mutual  friendship  of  the  Dutch 

and  Rnglish  people           -        -        -        -  55 

The  Dutch  during  the  Revolutionary  War  55 

Support  from  Holland  -  -  -  -  57 
The  Dutch  language  ceases  to  be  spoken 

in  America        ------  57 

The  Dutch  Reformed  Church      -        -        -  58 

The  United  States 

Holland  I^and  Company  -  -  -  -  59 
Emigration  under  the  rule  of 

King  William  I. 60 

Settlers  in  Iowa  under  Domine  Scholte       -  60 

Michigan  and  Chicago         -        .        -        -  60 

Fruit  growers  in  California          -        -        -  61 

Paterson,  N.  J. 61 

Sayville,  L.  I.      ------  62 

Philadelphia,  Pa.          .         -        -        -        -  62 

Extradition  treaty  made  in  1872          -        -  62 

Holland  America  Line         -        -        -        -  63 

West  India  Mail 64 

Holland  newspapers  in  America          -        -  65 

Conditions  in  New  York  City      -        -        -  65 

Professionals  as  emigrants           -        -        -  66 

Eendracht  Maakt  Macht  -  -  -  -  67 
The  Netherland  Chamber  of  Commerce 

in  America        ------  68 

The  Netherland  Club  of  America  -  -  69 
The  Netherland  Benevolent  Society 

of  New  York     ------  70 

Our  Consul-General     -----  71 

Advice  to  newcomers           -        -        -        -  71 


5©irectorsf 

of 

Cfje  i?et!)erlanb  Cfjamber  of  Commerce 
in  i^lmerica 

J^onorarp  ^rc£(ibcnt 

JHR.  DR.  J.  LOUDON 
Minister  of  The  Netherlands  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

J^onorarp  Vite-^regibcnt 

J.  R.   PLANTEN 
Consul-General  of  The  Netherlands  at  New  York 

Wnm  expires  in  1910 

CORNELIUS  VANDERBILT 
T.  GREIDANUS 

Ccnn  expires  in  1911 

COL.  JOHN  JACOB  ASTOR 

W.  BAYARD  VAN  RENSSELAER 

D.  G.   BOISSEVAIN 

JOHN  F.   PRAEGER 

tCcrm  expires  in  1912 

STUYVESANT  FISH 
W.  C.  HOUSTON 
A.  GIPS 
J.  SCHIMMEL 


^resibent 
D.   G.   BOISSEVAIN 

^icc'^resibent 
STUYVESANT  FISH 

^ecrctarp=tKreaSurer 
T.   GREIDANUS 

Counsel 
A.  L.  PINCOFFS,  LL.D. 

5 


Committee  on  import  anb  Export  Crabe 

For  thk  Year  1909-1910 

D.  G.  BOISSEVAIN,  ex-officio 

T.  GREIDANUvS,  ex-officio 

H.   BRUGMAN  J.  EZN. 

LOUIS  I.  DUBOURCQ 

J.  H.  DUYS 

A.  C.   H.  NYLAND 

9ubit  Commtttee 

For  the  Year  1909-1910 

LOUIS  I.  DUBOURCQ 
FRED.  C.  GOLDSMITH 

Committee  on  i^ominationst 

For  the  Year  1909-1910 

B.  HENDRIKS 

E.  VLIERBOOM 

H.  J.  VON  HEMERT 


iSanbcrs! 
THE  COAL  AND  IRON  NATIONAL  BANK 


De  correspondentie   met  de  Kamer  kan  in  het 
Hollandsch  worden  gevoerd. 


Coitfiitttution 

of 

^ctljcrlanb  Cijamber  of  Commerce 
in  America 

Incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
May  28,  1903. 

Artici^K  I. 

This  Society  shall  be  called  "  The  Netheri^and 
Chamber  of  Commerce  in  America." 

Article  II. 
©bjcct 
"  The  Netherland  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  Amer- 
ica" is  founded  to  represent  and  foster  in  the  United 
States  the  interests  of  the  commerce,  industry,  agri- 
culture, navigation,  arts  and  science  of  the  Netherlands 
and  its  Colonies,  and  to  increase  the  commerce  of  the 
United  States  with  the  Netherlands  and  its  Colonies. 

Article  III. 

The  principal  offices  of  the  Chamber  shall  be  in  the 
City  of  New  York. 

Branch  offices  may  be  established  in  other  cities  of 
the  United  States. 

Article  IV. 
Slnnual  anb  TLiit  iHemfaerst 
There  shall  be  Annual  and  Life  Members. 
Kligible  to  membership  shall  be  : 
First.  Hollanders,  Dutch  firms,   corporations  and 
institutions. 

7 


8  Constitution 

Second,  Naturalized  Americans  of  Dutch  parentage. 

Third,  Americans  of  Dutch  ancestry. 

Application  for  membership  must  be  made  to  the 
Board  of  Directors,  who  shall  elect  the  members. 

The  dues  of  annual  members  residing  in  the  United 
States  shall  be  ten  dollars,  and  of  annual  members 
residing  outside  of  the  United  States  ten  guilders, 
pa3'able  the  1st  of  May  of  each  year. 

The  payment  of  two  hundred  dollars  at  one  time 
by  a  person  eligible  to  membership  and  residing  in 
the  United  States,  shall  constitute  such  person  a  life 
member  ;  the  payment  of  two  hundred  guilders  by  a 
person  eligible  to  membership,  and  residing  outside 
of  the  United  States,  shall  likewise  constitute  him  a 
life  member,  but  only  natural  persons  shall  be  eligible 
to  life  membership. 

The  fiscal  year  shall  run  from  the  1st  of  May  to  the 
30th  of  April. 

Any  member  failing  to  notify  the  Secretary  in 
writing  before  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year  of  his  inten- 
tion to  terminate  his  membership  shall  be  considered 
a  member  for  the  ensuing  year. 

Article  V. 
iHembcrsi  cxoffitio 
Dutch  Consuls  in  the  United  States  shall  be  mem- 
bers ex-ofl5cio. 

Artici^e  VI. 

I.oa!£(  of  itlembcrsfjip 

The  Board  of  Directors  shall  have  power  to  drop 

from  the  roll  of  members  the  name  of  any  member 

who  may  fail  to  pay  his  daes  within  three  months 

after  the  same  are  due. 


Constitution  9 

The  Board  of  Directors  may  also  expel  any  member 
for  dishonorable  conduct  or  dealings,  but  only  after 
a  hearing  of  such  member  at  a  regular  meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Directors,  at  which  no  less  than  six  directors 
must  be  present  and  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the  direct- 
ors present,  provided  that  due  notice  be  given  by  the 
Secretary-Treasurer,  both  to  the  accused  member  and 
to  all  the  directors,  of  the  day  when  such  hearing 
shall  be  held  and  of  the  charge  against  such  member. 
If  the  accused  member  shall  not  appear  at  such  hear- 
ing in  person  or  by  proxy,  the  vote  may  be  taken  on 
his  expulsion  the  same  as  though  he  had  appeared. 

ARTICI.K  VII. 

jFounbcrst  anb  JBonors: 

A  donation  of  one  hundred  dollars  by  a  member 
residing  in  the  United  States,  or  of  one  hundred 
guilders  by  a  member  residing  outside  of  the  United 
States,  made  within  the  first  year  after  the  incorpor- 
ation of  the  Chamber,  shall  entitle  such  member  to 
the  name  of  Founder,  and  a  list  of  such  Founders 
shall  be  published  in  every  annual  report  of  the 
Chamber. 

Such  a  donation  made  after  the  first  year  after  the 
incorporation  of  the  Chamber  shall  entitle  such  mem- 
ber to  the  name  of  Donor,  and  a  list  of  such  Donors 
shall  also  be  published  in  every  annual  report  of  the 
Chamber. 

Article  VIII. 
Associate  JJlcmberg 
Any  person,  firm,  corporation  or  institution,  if 
engaged  in  pursuits  connected  with  the  purpose  of 
the  Chamber,  may  be  admitted  by  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors as  an  Associate  Member  upon  an  annual  payment 
of  ten  dollars. 


10  Constitution 

ARTICIvE  IX, 

IDtrectorif,  oilittxi  anb  ijonorarp  ollittti 

The  affairs  of  the  Chamber  shall  be  managed  by  a 
Board  of  Directors,  consisting  in  addition  to  the  hon- 
orary officers  hereinafter  named,  of  ten  members, 
who  shall  be  elected  at  the  annual  meeting  and  who 
shall  elect  from  their  number  a  President,  Vice- 
President  and  Secretary-Treasurer ;  and  all  powers 
not  specifically  conferred  on  the  members  at  their 
annual  meeting  shall  vest  in  said  Board  of  Directors. 

One-half  of  the  members  of  the  Board,  including 
the  President  and  Secretarj'-Treasurer,  shall  be  resi- 
dent Hollanders  or  naturalized  Americans.  The  other 
members  shall  be  chosen  from  the  members  of  Dutch 
ancestry . 

The  members  of  the  Board  of  Directors  shall  be 
chosen  for  terms  of  three  j-ears,  subject  to  the  follow- 
ing provision  :  The  Board  of  Directors  to  be  elected 
at  the  first  annual  meeting  (1904)  shall  divide  itself 
into  three  classes,  the  first  class  consisting  of  four 
members  retiring  at  the  end  of  the  first  year,  the 
second  class  consisting  of  four  at  the  end  of  the 
second  year,  and  the  third  class  consisting  of  two  at 
the  end  of  the  third  year,  the  members  of  each  class 
being  half  resident  Hollanders  or  naturalized  Amer- 
icans and  half  Americans  of  Dutch  ancestry. 

In  1905  at  the  annual  meeting,  and  annually  there- 
after, Directors  shall  be  chosen  for  terms  of  three 
years  in  place  of  those  whose  terms  shall  then  expire. 

The  members  of  the  Board  shall  be  eligible  for  re- 
election . 

The  election  of  ofiicers  shall  be  by  ballot  and  the 
majority  of  the  votes  shall  be  necessary  for  an  election. 


Constitution  11 

Should  a  vacancy  occur  in  the  Board  of  Directors, 
a  successor  for  the  unexpired  term  shall  be  elected  by 
that  body. 

The  Minister  of  the  Netherlands  at  Washington, 
D.  C,  shall  be  Honorary  President.  The  Consul- 
General  of  the  Netherlands  in  the  City  of  New  York 
shall  be  Honorary  Vice-President. 

Article  X. 
illectingsf  of  tf)e  H^oarb  of  JSirectors! 

The  Board  of  Directors  shall  meet  at  the  call  of  the 
President,  and  such  shall  also  be  made  upon  the 
written  request  of  any  three  members  of  the  Board. 

Three  Directors  shall  be  necessary  to  constitute  a 
quorum. 

Article  XI. 
©utiesf  of  ®li\ttxi 

Pi-esident. — The  President  shall  exercise  a  general 
supervision  over  the  affairs  of  the  Chamber.  He,  or 
in  his  absence,  the  Vice-President,  shall  preside  at 
all  meetings  of  the  Chamber  and  of  the  Board  of 
Directors,  and  he  shall  have  the  casting  vote  in  case 
the  number  be  equal  on  a  division. 

In  the  absence  of  both  President  and  Vice-President, 
a  presiding  officer  shall  be  selected,  chosen  by  and 
from  the  Board  of  Directors. 

In  addition  to  the  powers  hereby  specifically  con- 
ferred, the  President  shall  have  such  power  as  shall  be 
conferred  on  him  by  the  Board  of  Directors. 

Vice-President. — The  duties  of  the  President,  in 
case  of  his  absence,  shall  devolve  upon  the  Vice- 
President. 


12  Constitution 

Secretary-  Treasurer.  —  The  Secretary-Treasurer 
shall  have  the  care  of  all  documents  and  shall  con- 
duct the  correspondence  of  the  Chamber  and  of  the 
Board  of  Directors.  He  shall  keep  minutes  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  Chamber  and  of  the  Board  of 
Directors. 

He  shall  notify  members  of  their  election  and  shall 
give  due  notice  of  all  meetings. 

He  shall  prepare  the  annual  report,  covering  the 
proceedings  of  the  Chamber,  as  well  as  other  reports 
which  the  Chamber  may  publish,  under  the  general 
guidance  of  the  Board. 

He  shall  have  charge  of  all  moneys  and  other  assets 
of  the  Chamber. 

He  shall  at  the  annual  meeting  present  a  statement 
of  the  financial  affairs  of  the  Chamber.  This  state- 
ment must  have  been  previously  audited  by  two 
members  appointed  for  the  purpose  by  the  Chamber 
at  the  preceding  annual  meeting. 

The  Board  of  Directors  shall  fix  the  salary  of  the 
Secretary-Treasurer. 

ARTICI.E  XII. 
iMeetingS 

The  chamber  shall  hold  an  annual  meeting  on  the 
third  Saturday  in  the  month  of  May  for  the  purpose 
of  electing  members  of  the  Board  of  Directors  and  for 
the  transaction  of  such  other  business  as  may  come 
before  the  meeting. 

In  addition  to  the  Annual  Meeting,  special  meet- 
ings may  be  called  when  the  Board  shall  judge  proper, 
and  also  when  requested  in  writing  by  any  ten  mem- 
bers; in  such  request  the  object  for  which  such  meet- 
ing is  desired  shall  be  specified. 


Constitiitioyi  13 

Ten  members  of  the  Chamber  shall  be  necessary  to 
constitute  a  quorum. 

The  Secretary  shall  give  at  least  five  days  notice  of 
the  time  and  place  of  all  meetings  of  the  Chamber  to 
the  members  residing  in  the  United  States,  and  at 
least  three  days  notice  of  all  meetings  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  to  the  directors. 

Voting  by  proxy  is  not  allowed  at  any  of  the  meetings 
of  the  Chamber. 

Article  Xlli. 

The  Board  of  Directors  shall  have  povi^er  to  make 
all  By-Laws  not  inconsistent  with  this  constitution. 

ARTICI.E  XIV. 

The  Chamber  is  prohibited  from  engaging  in  any 
commercial  transaction  on  its  own  account  or  in  any 
transaction  other  than  those  necessary  for  the  execu- 
tion of  its  purposes. 

Artici^E  XV. 

^menbmentg 

Amendments  to  any  part  of  this  Constitution  shall 
be  made  only  at  a  special  meeting  called  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  such  amendments,  such  object  being 
expressed  in  the  notice  of  such  special  meeting. 


14  The  Dutch  in  New  Netherland 

ontract  met  5|enrp  J^ubsion  ^ 


/^P  heden  Den  8  January  inV  Jaar  onses  Heeren  Een 
Duysent  scs  Hondert  en  negen  syn  met  malkan- 
dercti  geaccordeert  en  ovcrkomen  Dc  Bewintheh- 
beren  van  de  Oost  Indische  Compagnie  van  de  Caiiier 
van  Amsterdam  van  de  tienjarige  Reeckse  tereenre. 
En  Mr.  Henry  Hudson  Engelsman  ter  andere  syde, 
In  maniere  navolgende.  Te  weten:  Dot  de  voorst  : 
Bewinthebberen  metten  eerslen  sullen  equyperen  een 
scheephen  of  Jaght^  van  omlrent  Dertigh  lasten  waar- 
niede  de  voorn :  Hudson  omtreftt  den  eerslen  van 
Aprils  van  volck,  vivres  en  andere  nootlyckheden  wel 
voorsien  sal  seylen  om  passagie  te  soecken  door  V 
noorden,  benoorden  Nova  Sembla  om,  en  soo  lange  de 
longitudine  vervolghen,  dat  hy  sal  konnen  sylen  zuyd- 
ivaart  tot  op  de  hooghte  van  sestigh  graden,  eft  soo 
veel  kennisse  van  Landen  sien  te  bekomen  als  sonder 
menchelyck  tyt  verlies  sal  konnen  geschieden  en  is  V 
doenlyk  stracks  zvederom  keeren,  om  aan  de  Bewinthe- 
bberen te  doen  getrouwelyck  rapport  en  relaes  van  syn 
reyse,  en  overgeven  syn  Journalen,  Coursen,  kaerten, 
en  alles  wat  hetn  op  de  reyse  wedervaeren  is,  sonder 
iets  aghter  te  houden,  Opwelcke  aanstaende  reyse  de 
Bewinthebberen  aan  den  voorst:  Hudson  sullen  betalen 
soo  tot  syn  uytrustinge  op  de  voorst:  reyse,  als  tot 
onderhout  van  syn  vromc  en  kinderen,  de  sotntne  van 
aght  Hondert  Gulden,  en  ingevalle  {daar  Godt  voor 
sy)  hy  in  een  jaar  niet  wederomme  hier  te  lande,  of 
hicr  omlrent  en  quame  te  arriveren,  sullen  de  Bewint- 
hebberen nogh  aan  syn  Huysvrouwe  betalen  twee 
Hondert  Gl  courant,  en  alsdan  aan  hem.  en  syne  erven 
niet  vorder  gehouden  syn.     Ten  waere  hy  doer  na 


and  The  United  States  15 

nogh  moghle  konien  te  arriveren^  ofte  dat  hy  binnens 
jaars  gekomen  zvaar,  ende  de  passagie  goet  ende 
bequaem  datse  Conip:  wedcrcmme  sonde  gebruyckett, 
gevonden  hadde,  In  ivelcken  gevalle  de  Bewinthebberen 
aan  den  voorn:  Hudson  voor  syne  periculen,  moeyten 
en  konste  sullen  recompenseren  tot  hare  discretie 
waarinede  de  voorn :  Hudson  tevreden  is.  Ende  in- 
gevalle  de  Bewinthebberen  goetvonden  alsdan  deselve 
reyse  te  vervolgefi  en  continueren,  is  met  den  voorn  : 
Hudson  geaccordeert  en  verdragen  dat  hy  hier  te 
Lande  syn  woonstee  met  vrouw  en  kinderen  sal  neinen, 
en  hem  van  niemant  anders  als  van  de  Comp:  laten 
gebruycken  en  dat  tot  redelyckheid  en  discretie  van  de 
Bewinthebberen  die  hem  ook  van  den  selven  dienst 
vorderen  alsdan  in  alle  billyckheit  en  redelyckheit 
beloven  te  vergenoegen  en  contenteren,  A  lies  sonder 
argh  of  list.  /«  kennisse  der  waerheyt  syn  hier  van 
gemaeckt  twee  contraden  van  eenen  teneur,  en  by  beyde 
partyen  onderteyckent,  alsmede  by  Jodocus  Hondius, 
als  tolck  en  getuyge,  Datum  als  boven,  was  eeteeckent, 
Dirck  van  Os,  J.  Poppe^  Henry  Hudson,  lager  sfont 
By  my  Jodocus  Hondius  als  getuyge, 


16  The  Dutch  in  New  Netherland 

ontract  ixiitf)  Hentp  ?|ubsJon  -^ 


r\N  this  day,  tlie  8th  of  January  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord,  One  Thousand  Six  Hundred  and  Nine 
the  Directors  of  the  East  India  Company  of  the 
Chamber  of  Amsterdam  of  the  ten  yearly  series  on  the 
one  part  and  Mr.  Henry  Hudson,  Englishman,  on 
the  other  part,  have  agreed  as  follows.  To  wit:  The 
Directors  mentioned  above  will  equip  a  ship  or  yacht 
of  about  thirty  tons,  zvith  which  the  said  Hudson,  pro- 
vided ivith  a  crew,  victuals  and  otiier  necessaries,  will 
sail  on  or  about  the  first  of  April  to  look  for  a  passage 
through  the  North,  yiorth  of  Nova  Sembla,  and  will 
continue  to  sail  in  longitudinal  direction  until  he  will 
be  able  to  sail  to  a  latitude  of  sixty  degrees,  and  will 
endeavor  to  obtain  as  much  tc?iowledge  as  possible  of 
countries  as  ivill  be  possible  ivilhout  exceptional  loss  of 
time  and,  if  possible,  zvill  afterivards  returtt  to  report 
faithfully  to  the  Directors,  zvill  deliver  his  logbook, 
courses,  charts  and  zvill  relate  all  events  of  his  journey, 
without  hiding  anything ;  for  zvhich  voyage  the  Direc- 
tors will  pay  unto  the  said  Henry  Hudson,  as  well  for 
his  equipment  as  for  the  keep  of  his  wife  and 
children,  the  sum  of  Eight  Hundred  Guilders,  and  i7i 
case  {w/iich  the  Lord preventeth)  he  does  not  return  in 
this  country,  or  in  its  neighborhood,  zvithin  a  year, 
the  Directors  zvill  make  an  additional  payment  to  his 
wife  of  Two  Hundred  Guilders  currettcy,  and  after 
that  will  not  be  held  to  any  further  payments  to  him- 
self or  his  heirs.  Unless  after  that  time  he  were  still 
to  return,  or  in  case  he  returns  within  a  year,  and  that 
he  has  properly  found  the  passage  so  that  the  Company 
can  fuake  use  of  same  again,  in  which  case  the  Direc- 


and-  The  United  States  17 

tors  ivill  reward  the  said  Hudson  as  they  may  see  fit 
for  his  perils,  troubles  and  stiill,  with  ivhich  the  said 
Hudson  will  be  satisfied.  And  in  case  the  Directors 
decide  to  contiujie  the  use  of  this  same  route,  it  is 
as;reed  that  the  said  Hudson,  zvith  his  wife  and  child- 
ren, will  take  tip  domicile  in  this  country  and  will  not 
place  his  services  at  the  disposal  of  anyone  but  the 
Company  and  such  at  the  discretion  of  the  Directors, 
who  will  demand  of  hitn  such  services  and  promise  to 
re'ivard  him.  as  is  just  and  reasonable.  All  this  agreed 
to  in  good  faith.  In  witness  whereof  two  contracts 
have  been  made  of  the  same  tenor  and  signed  by  both 
parties,  as  also  by  Jodocus  Hondius  as  interpreter  and 
7vitncss.  Date  as  above,  was  signed,  Dirck  van  Os, 
f.  Poppe,  Henry  Hudson,  and.  lower,  By  me  Jodocus 
Ho7tdii!S  as  witness. 


tEfje  ©utcij  in  i^eto  i^etfterlanb 

anb 

tlTlje  ?BnitetJ  States;. 

That  ' '  tlie  Dutch  have  taken  Holland  "  is  so  well 
known  that  such  statement  will  never  give  any  cause 
for  argument;  but  that  the  Dutch  once  upon  a  time 
also  took  "  little  old  New  York,"  or  rather  the  land 
upon  which  ovir  proud  city  now  stands,  we  have  only 
recently  been  reminded  by  the  preparations  for  the 
great  celebration  which  is  now  so  near  at  hand.  And 
even  at  present  the  accomplishments  of  the  Dutch 
in  America  are  somewhat  crowded  into  the  back- 
ground by  the  name  of  the  Englishman  command- 
ing the  first  ship  that  explored  the  waters  of  the 
great  and  majestic  river  now  bearing  his  name. 

The  exploration  of  this  river  however  was  only 
incidental  to  the  subsequent  events  that  have  been 
very  material  agents  in  creating  a  form  of  government 
and  conditions  as  we  know  them  to-day.  It  is  there- 
fore the  intent  of  this  little  booklet  to  give,  in  brief, 
the  story  of  happenings  in  this  section  of  the  world, 
and  principally  to  show  the  part  played  by  the  Dutch 
people  in  the  development  of  political  and  social  life. 

Recent  publications  have  fully  informed  us  regard- 
ing the  entering  of  the  bay  by  "  De  Halve  Maene," 
under  command  of  Hudson,  on  September  the 
2ud,  1609;  that  he  sailed  up  the  river  to  the  present 
site  of  the  city  of  Albany,  and  again  set  sail  for 
Europe  on  October  the  4th,  arriving  in  Dartmouth 
on  November  the  7th.  Here  "  De  Halve  Maene" 
was  detained  by  the  English,  but  after  some  delay  a 
new  crew  arrived  from  Holland  and  she  was  taken 
19 


20 


The  Dutch  in  Neiv  Nether  land 


Pur 

Traders 

1609-1612 


Block's  explo- 
ration of  L,ong 
Island  Sound 
and  formation 
of  the  United 
New  Nether- 
land  Company 


back  to  Amsterdam,  with  Robert  Juet  in  charge, 
Hudson  remaining  in  luigland  and  re-entering  the 
service  of  the  Muscovy  Company,  with  which  he  had 
been  connected  before  contracting  with  the  Kast  India 
Company. 

The  stories  brought  to  Holland  about  quantities  of 
furs  obtainable  in  the  valley  of  this  river,  induced 
many  merchants  to  despatch  vessels  to  the  newly  dis- 
covered territory,  and  between  the  years  1609  and 
1612  we  find  records  of  large  numbers  of  vessels 
which  set  sail  for  our  coast.  If  during  these  years 
settlements  were  built,  they  must  have  been  of  a  very 
temporary  nature,  merely  for  the  purpose  of  collect- 
ing furs,  as  we  find  no  reliable  records  referring  to 
permanent  colonies. 

Amongst  the  many  traders  visiting  these  shores,  we 
find  the  names  of  Adriaan  Block  and  Hendrick  Christ- 
iansen, who  in  1612,  respectively  iu  the  "  Tyger  " 
and  the  "Fortuin,"  set  sail  for  the  new  world. 
Returning  from  one  of  his  voyages,  Block  brought 
back  with  him,  in  addition  to  the  usual  cargo  of  furs, 
two  sons  of  Indian  chiefs,  the  first  which  had  ever 
been  seen  in  Holland.  Christiansen  thoroughly  explor- 
ed the  Hudson  river  between  the  years  1612  and  1621, 
during  which  period  he  made  ten  trips  to  the  Upper 
Hudson,  in  which  region  he  built  a  fort  on  the  site  of 
the  present  city  of  Albany,  while  in  1614  he  erected  a 
"ronduit,"  or  circular  fort,  at  Esopus. 

Adriaan  Block's  vessel,  from  some  cause  or  other, 
caught  fire  and  was  totally  destroyed.  A  new  ship,  of 
about  16  tons  burden,  was  built  to  replace  the 
"Tyger".  This  vessel,  called  the  "Onrust, "  rep- 
resented the  first  product  of  the  shipbuilder's  skill  on 
the  island  of  Manhattan. 


and  The  United  States  21 

At  this  time,  in  March,  1614,  the  Dutch  Congress 
promised  that  he  who  discovered  a  new  country  and 
should  give  information  thereof  within  a  fortnight 
after  his  return  in  the  fatherland,  after  having  made 
four  voyages  to  the  nevv'  land,  would  receive  a 
monopoly  of  its  trade. 

His  ambition  fired  by  this  offer,  Block  decided  to 
sail  up  the  East  River  and  explore  the  country  in  that 
direction,  when,  to  his  great  surprise,  in  proceeding 
up  the  L/ong  Island  Sound,  he  found  what  he  at  first 
believed  to  be  an  inland  sea.  It  should  be  added  that  up 
to  this  time  it  was  believed  that  New  England  came 
down  to  the  sea,  and  no  knowledge  existed  regarding 
a  sea-arm  between  the  mainland  and  an  island  facing 
the  ocean.  He  explored  the  surrounding  country  and 
waters,  discovering  Block  Island  and  Block  Island 
Sound,  which  have  perpetuated  his  name.  While  Block 
was  engaged  in  exploring  the  Sound,  Christiansen 
made  a  trip  along  the  south  coast  of  Long  Island,  and 
their  combined  efiforts  resulted  in  a  complete  map  of 
the  island  and  the  surrounding  waters. 

On  October  the  1st,  1614,  Block  arrived  in  Holland 
with  this  new  map,  showing  the  island,  numerous 
waterways  and  a  new  approach  to  Manhattan,  as  also 
many  rivers  and  the  location  of  several  Indian  tribes. 

On  the  11th  of  the  same  month  a  charter  was  issued 
and  ' '  The  United  New  Nctherland  Company  ' '  was 
formed,  which  controlled  the  territory  lying  between 
the  Connecticut  and  Susquehanna  rivers. 

As  the  foregoing  events  have  shown,  the  only 
object  in  visiting  these  shores  was  the  gathering  of 
riches — no  desire  for  permanent  settlement  existed  as 
yet — this  was  to  be  brought  about  by  other  causes. 
At  this  time,  during  the  twelve  year's  truce,  Holland 


22 


The  Diitdi  in  Nciv  Netherland 


ChatterinE 
of  the  West 
India  Company 
in  1621. 


First  settlers 
arrive  under 
leadership  of 
Jesse  de  Forest 


was  prosperous,  and  her  ships  visited  every  sea  and 
every  shore  to  obtain  valuable  merchandise  for  the 
markets  of  the  fatherland.  And  even  during  war  times 
far  more  applicants  were  found  to  join  the  fleet  and 
go  forth  to  capture  rich  Spanish  galleons,  than  could 
be  obtained  to  follow  the  peaceful  and  quiet  pursuit  of 
settling  in  and  developing  a  new  country. 

In  1621,  after  the  truce  with  Spain  had  expired,  the 
West  India  Company  was  chartered.  The  Governor- 
General  of  the  corporation  had  to  be  commissioned 
and  approved  by  Congress,  but,  with  this  exception, 
its  powers  were  sovereign.  It  could  effect  treaties 
and  alliances  with  princes  and  potentates,  erect  forts, 
plant  colonies,  carry  on  war  and  establish  govern- 
ments. As  we  have  said,  there  were  few  Dutch 
willing  to  set  forth  as  colonists  of  the  new  possessions, 
and  settlers  were  hard  to  find.  There  were  in  Hol- 
land, however,  several  hundred  thousands  of  Wal- 
loons, living  as  exiles  from  their  own  country  in  the 
land  where  religion  and  speech  was  free,  and  of  these 
some  few  were  willing  to  try  their  fortunes  in  the  new 
world. 

Under  leadership  of  Jesse  de  Forest  thirty-one 
families  from  Ivcyden  set  forth  in  the  "  Nieuw  Neder- 
land,"  in  March,  1623,  accompanied  by  the  armed 
yacht,  "DeMakreel,"  under  command  of  Captain  Cor- 
nells J,  May,  On  arrival  in  the  bay,  several  families 
disembarked  on  the  land  named  after  the  seven 
states  of  the  Republic,  Staten  Island.  In  a  "  bocht  " 
or  bend  in  the  East  River  others  made  a  settlement, 
in  commemoration  of  which  event  this  "  bocht"  was 
afterwards  called  "  Walen  Bocht, "  and  the  change 
to  the  present  name  of  ' '  Wallabout ' '  in  Brooklyn 
can  easily  be  traced.     Eighteen  families  were  carried 


Holland  and 
England 


and  The  United  States  23 

up  the  river,  settling  on  the  site  of  the  city  of  Albany, 
under  command  of  Adrian  Joris,  the  Lieutenant  of 
Captain  May;  and  it  was  in  this  settlement,  in  June, 
1625,  that  the  first  baby  in  the  colony  was  born. 

Before  proceeding  further  it  might  be  well  to  see  in 
how  far  the  Netherlands  had  a  clear  title  to  the  terri-      Claims  of 
tory  newl}'  occupied,  according  to  international  rights 
as  understood  in  those  days. 

In  the  original  charter  of  Virginia,  as  issued  in 
1606,  King  James  of  England  claimed  possession  of 
that  part  of  America  lying  between  the  34th  and  45th 
parallel,  but  at  the  same  time  it  should  be  borne  in 
mind  that  it  was  Queen  Elizabeth  who  asserted  the 
doctrine  that  mere  discovery  of  lands  across  the  sea 
was  not  sufficient  to  provide  the  discoverer  with  a 
valid  title,  but  that  this  should  be  followed  up  by  set- 
tlement and  occupation. 

In  1619,  Thomas  Dermer,  an  English  navigator, 
was  sent  out  by  the  Plymouth  Company  to  make  a 
trip  of  exploration  through  these  waters,  and  on  this 
occasion  he  followed  the  same  route  taken  by  Adrian 
Block,  only  in  reversed  direction.  He  came  down  the 
East  River  and  passed  Manhattan  without  touching, 
and  without  noticing  anj-  Dutchmen.  In  the  spring 
of  162(1  he  returned  and  found  on  Manhattan  many 
busy  fur  traders,  to  whom  he  remarked  that  they 
were  trespassing  on  English  territory,  to  which  they 
replied  that  they  had  found  no  Englishmen  when 
they  came  here  and  hoped  that  they  had  given  no 
offence.  When  Dermer  returned  to  London  with  the 
news  of  the  busy  fur  trade  which  was  carried  on  in 
Manhattan,  a  new  charter  was  drawn  up  in  the  name 
of  the  Council  of  New  England,  bj-  which  possession 
was  claimed  of  all  lands  lying  on  the  American  Conti- 


24 


The  Dutch  in  Nciv  Nctherland 


Captain  May, 
first  head  of 
the  Colony 


Pieter  Minuit, 
first  Governor 


nent  between  the  40tli  and  48th  parallel  and  reaching 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  In  this  docu- 
ment it  was  claimed  that  Kinj^  James  was  credibly 
informed  that  these  lands  were  not  yet  settled  by 
Christian  people,  but  taken  in  consideration  that  such 
territory  would  also  include  New  France,  it  may 
reasonably  be  suspected  that  the  King's  information 
did  not  come  from  very  reliable  sources. 

A  year  later  the  English  ambassader  in  the  Hague 
was  instructed  to  call  the  attention  of  the  States  Gen- 
eral to  the  fact  that  the  Dutch  in  America  were  occu- 
pying territory  belonging  to  England,  but  the  result- 
ing discussions  do  not  seem  to  have  had  any  effect, 
and  it  cannot  be  traced  whether  any  answer  was  sent 
to  the  English  Government. 

In  opening  up  these  settlements,  the  Dutch  had  the 
advantage  over  their  neighbors  in  the  previous  exper- 
ience of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company  in  other 
parts  of  the  world.  They  knew  what  should  be  pro- 
vided for,  and  came  well  equipped  with  building  and 
farming  implements,  seeds,  etc.  In  1625  the  first 
two  shiploads  of  cattle  and  horses,  pigs  and  sheep 
arrived,  so  that  the  colony  w^as  now  well  on  the  way 
to  become  a  full  fledged  commitnity,  prepared  to  sup- 
ply its  own  wants. 

The  first  settlement  in  Manhattan  was  started  under 
the  leadership  of  Captain  Ma}^  who  in  1624  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Willem  Verhulst.  The  colony,  however, 
began  to  look  so  promising,  that  the  West  India  Com- 
pany decided  to  send  a  Director-General  to  take  over 
the  reins  of  the  government.  As  such  it  appointed 
Pieter  Minuit,  who  sailed  on  December  the  19th,  1625, 
in  the  good  ship '  'Zeemeeuw, ' '  arriving  on  May  the  4th, 
1626  and  bringing  with  him  the  "  ziekentroosters". 


and  The  United  States  25 

or  comforters  of  the  sick,  Sebastiaan  Jansen  Krol  and 
Jan  Huyck,  to  look  after  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the 
burghers,  Isaac  de  Rasieres,  who  had  arrived  July 
the  26th,  1625,  on  the  ship  "Het  Wapen  Van  Am- 
sterdam," was  appointed  as  his  secretary,  and  he  was 
further  assisted  in  the  task  of  governing  by  a  council 
of  five  members,  which  were  chosen  from  the  Dutch 
in  the  colony. 

Pieter  Minuit's  first  official  act  was  the  purchase 
from  the  Indians  of  the  island  of  Manhattan,  and  for 
the  sum  of  sixty  guilders,  or  twenty-four  dollars,  he 
obtained  for  the  commuiiit}' about  22,000  acres,  which 
were  paid  for  in  beads,  knives  and  similar  articles. 

The  next  work  in  hand  was  the  building  of  a  fort, 
which  was  erected  on  the  site  where  the  present 
custom  house  now  proudly  stands.  The  builder  of  Erection  of 
this  fort,  which  was  called  Fort  Amsterdam,  v,-as  P*-  Amsterdam 
Kryn  Frederickse.  It  had  four  bastions,  brick  work 
on  the  inside  and  sodded  on  the  outside,  but  no  moat 
was  dug  around  it.  It  may  also  be  remarked  that  the 
colony  was  equipped  with  a  horse-mill  for  the  bolting 
of  flour,  the  loft  of  which  on  Sundays  served  as  place 
of  worship. 

The  settlers  of  the  upper  Hudson  in  Fort  Nassau 
in  the  meantime  had  succeeded  in  winning  the  good 
will  of  the  Mohawk  Indians,  and  carried  on  a  lively 
trade  in  furs  from  that  valley.  The  colonists  of 
New  Amsterdam  went  after  the  same  product  in  their 
vessels  and  cruised  the  coast  from  Connecticut  down 
to  the  Delaware  river.  In  order  to  promote  this  trad- 
ing, Pieter  Minuit  greatly  encouraged  shipbuilding, 
and  had  even  the  keel  laid  of  a  ship  of  80  J  tons  bur- 
den, called  the  "  Nieuw  Nederland,"  which  was 
loaded  with  furs  and  despatched  to  the  fatherland,  in 


26 


lite  Dutch  in  New  Netherla^id 


Patroons  and 
the  act  of 
Privileges  and 
Exemptions 


order  to  show  what  the  colony  could  do.  More  and 
more  the  attention  of  Holland  was  drawn  to  the  New 
World,  which  showed  such  great  possibilities;  demon- 
strated in  a  way  by  the  following  trade  figures  of  New 
Amsterdam  for  the  year  1630  : 

Imports,       -  -        113,000  guilders. 

Exports,  -  130,000 

(or  an  excess  of  exports  of     17,000         "      ) 

Though  this  may  be  considered  a  fairly  good  show- 
ing for  a  colony  only  newly  started  in  a  wilderness,  it 
was  hardly  sufficient  to  create  much  excitement 
amongst  the  Directors  of  the  West  India  Company. 
The  principal  object  of  this  organization  was  to  go 
after  the  spoils  of  war,  which  promised  such  rich 
harvests  in  the  captured  fleets  of  the  Spanish,  while 
colonization  was  only  a  secondary  consideration.  If 
it  be  realized  that  the  capture  of  the  silver  fleet  in 
1628  left  the  company  proceeds  of  $15,000,000,  and  that 
the  next  3'ear  sundry  privateers  brought  in  a  bounty 
of  over  $8,000,000  ;  that  in  1630  Brazil  was  taken  and 
occupied — these  successes  resulting  in  dividends  of  25 
and  50  per  cent. — it  need  cause  no  wonder  that  so 
little  attention  was  paid  to  the  settlements  in  the 
Hudson  River  Valley.  Those  were  "getting  rich 
quick  ' '  days  for  large  corporations,  and  the  slow  and 
tedious  procedure  of  colonizing  and  cultivating  new 
countries  found  little  favor  in  the  eyes  of  the  men  at 
the  helm. 

The  realization  that  greater  inducements  had  to  be 
offered  to  increase  the  development  of  the  colony,  led 
to  the  creation  of  the  so-called  "  patroon  system." 
In  1629  the  West  India  Company  issued  its  charter  of 
"  Privileges  and  Exemptions,"  by  which  it  was  de- 
clared that  any  member  of  the  Company  who  should 


and  The  United  States  21 

bring  to  and  settle  in  New  Netlierland,  within  the 
next  four  years,  50  grown  up  persons,  should  receive 
a  liberal  grant  of  land  to  hold  as  "  patroon  "  or  lord. 
Such  land  might  have  a  frontage  of  16  miles  if  on  one 
side  of  a  river,  or  8  miles  if  situated  on  both  sides. 
The  patroon  would  be  chief  magistrate  on  his  land, 
but  disputes  of  more  that  50  guilders  could  be  appealed 
to  the  Director  and  his  Council  in  New  Amsterdam. 
The  tenants  would  be  free  from  all  taxation  for  10 
years,  but  during  this  period  they  would  not  be 
allowed  to  change  from  one  estate  to  another,  or  to 
move  from  the  country  to  the  town.  The  patroons 
would  have  full  liberty  to  purchase  goods  in  New 
Netherlaud,  New  England  or  New  France,  with  ex- 
ception of  furs,  but  such  goods  would  have  to  pay  in 
New  Am.sterdam  an  export  tax  of  five  per  cent,  before 
they  could  be  shipped  to  Kurope.  The  fur  trade 
remained  a  monopoly  of  the  Company.  The  weaving 
of  cloth  was  prohibited  in  order  not  to  curtail  the 
field  for  the  looms  in  Holland. 

The  first  manor  under  this  charter  was  acquired  by 
Samuel  Godyn  and  Samuel  Blommaert,  two  of  the 
Company's  Directors,  who  started  a  settlement  called 
Swaenendal  on  the  Delaware  Bay,  but  the  colonists, 
32  in  number,  after  the  settlement  had  been  in  exist- 
ence for  only  a  short  while,  were  murdered  by  the 
Indians. 

The  second  venture  was  by  Michael  Pauw,  who 
obtained  land  on  the  present  site  of  Jersey  City,  call- 
ing it  Pavonia,  which  name  still  survives.  The  enter- 
prise however,  was  not  a  financial  success  and  he 
finally  sold  his  holdings  to  the  West  India  Company. 

The  most  successful  of  the  settlements  started 
under  the  patroonship  charter  has  been  the  colony  on 


28 


The  Dutch  in  Nciv  Ndhcrland 


Settlement  in 
Reiisselaerwyk 


Wouter  van 
Twiller,  second 
Governor,  and 
arrival  of  the 
first  garrison 


the  upper  Hudson  by  Kiliaan  van  Rensselaer,  an 
Amsterdam  jeweler  and  member  of  the  Chamber  of 
Amsterdam.  From  the  Mohawks  he  purchased  a  plot 
of  laud  now  represented  by  Albany  and  Rensselaer 
counties,  which  settlement  was  called  Rensselaerwyk 
and  to  which  he  brought  several  families  from  the 
town  of  Nykerk,  the  place  of  his  birth. 

It  did  not  take  long  before  disputes  arose  between 
the  patroons  and  the  Company,  both  sides  claiming 
that  the  contracts  were  not  lived  up  to,  and  an  indi- 
rect result  of  these  difficulties  was  the  recall  of  Pieter 
Minuit  who  left  for  Holland  in  INIarch,  1632,  in  the 
good  ship  "Eendragt.'' 

His  successor  was  Wouter  van  Twiller,  a  clerk  in 
the  Company's  office  and  a  nephew  of  Kiliaan  van 
Rensselaer,  through  whose  influence  he  seems  to 
have  obtained  his  appointment. 

He  arrived  in  April  1633  on  the  ship  ' '  Zoutberg, ' ' 
accompanied  by  Domine  Everardus  Bogardus,  the 
first  clergyman,  and  Adam  Roelandzoon,  the  first 
schoolmaster,  who  came  to  New  Netherland.  There 
also  came  over  with  him  104  soldiers,  the  first  garri- 
son to  take  up  its  abode  in  New  Netherland. 

Van  Twiller,  in  later  years,  has  often  been  made 
the  subject  of  caricaturists,  who  have  either  wilfully 
misrepresented  him  or  who  erred  through  lack  of 
knowledge  of  the  real  facts.  In  the  first  place  he  is 
usually  pictured  as  a  large,  fat  man  of  advanced  age 
in  which  case  he  is  substituted  for  his  father,  one  of 
the  Directors  of  the  Company,  as  he  was  a  young  m.an 
of  27  years  when  he  was  sent  over  as  Director-Gen- 
eral of  the  colony. 

His  lack  of  decision  in  many  cases  has  given  him 
the  name  of  "De  Twyfelaar,"  or  "Doubter,"  but  this 


and  The  United  States  29 

hesitancy  should  not  be  blamed  upon  him  personally, 
but  on  the  peculiar  conditions  which  existed  during 
his  rule.  In  other  instances,  where  his  course  was 
clear,  he  certainly  showed  a  good  deal  of  activity, 
courage  and  chivalry. 

At  the  time  of  his  arrival  the  war  with  Spain  was 
still  raging,  and  the  new  Governor  received  instruc- 
tions from  the  States-General  not  to  begin  hostilities 
with  his  English  neighbors  under  any  circumstances, 
as  Holland  at  that  moment  could  hardly  afford  to  be 
entangled  in  a  war  with  still  another  country.  Never- 
theless there  were  sufficient  grounds  for  a  call  to 
arms,  on  account  of  the  utter  disregard  by  the  Eng- 
lish on  the  Connecticat  river  of  the  Dutch  territorial 
rights,  but  bound  hand  and  foot  by  instructions  from 
home,  van  Twiller  could  only  resort  to  a  game  of 
bluff ;  if  this  did  not  have  the  desired  result,  he  could 
not  back  up  his  demands  by  force  of  arms. 

There  seems  to  be  no  doubt,  however,  that  van 
Twiller  was  somebody  of  an  over-convivial  character 
and  at  the  many  gatherings  with  his  comrades,  was 
wont  to  imbibe  rather  freely,  which  could  hardly  in- 
crease his  prestige  amongst  the  burghers  and  their 
wives.  He  has  also  been  accused  of  not  being  averse 
to  peculation  and  to  have  made  use  of  his  exalted 
position  to  obtain  many  lands,  while  it  also  ma)'  be 
added  that,  though  the  Government  farms  hardly 
paid  expenses,  his  private  bouweries  yielded  him 
large  revenues  yearly. 

One  of  his  first  acquisitions  was  "Nooten  Eiland" 
or  Nut  Island,  called  Pagganck  by  the  Indians,  which      Origin  of 
he  obtained  from  the  aborigines  in  exchange  for  some      Tciand 
axe-heads,  a  string  of  beads  and  a  few  nails.     After 


30 


The  Dutch  in  New  Nctherland 


Troubles 
with  the 
EnRlish  in 
Connecticut 


this  purchase  the  island's  name  was  changed  to 
Governor's  Island,  which  name  it  has  retained  until 
the  present  time. 

The  main  difficult}-  with  which  van  Twiller  had  to 
contend  was  the  aggressiveness  of  the  English,  who,  by 
virtue  of  the  charter  of  the  Council  of  New  Kngland, 
did  not  recognize  the  territorial  rights  of  the  Dutch. 
A  few  days  after  his  arrival,  Jacob  Eelkins,  formerly 
in  the  service  of  Amsterdam  merchants,  during  which 
period  he  had  built  Fort  Nassau  (now  Albany),  but 
who  had  since  entered  the  service  of  Clober}'  &  Co.,  a 
London  firm,  entered  the  river  in  command  of  an 
English  ship,  named  "William."  Van  Twiller  order- 
ed him  to  come  ashore  and  asked  him  what  the  object 
of  his  visit  was,  to  which  Eelkins  replied  that  he  was 
on  English  territory  and  came  to  trade  with  the 
Indians.  Notwithstanding  the  counter  arguments  of 
van  Twiller,  nothing  seems  to  have  been  done  and 
Eelkins,  after  two  days  delay,  quietly  sailed  up  the 
river,  van  Twiller  apparently  being  at  a  loss  what  to 
do  under  the  circumstances  in  connection  with  the 
instructions  from  home.  After  a  few  days,  however, 
persuaded  by  Captain  de  Vries,  who  had  been  in  com- 
mand of  the  ruined  colony  at  Swaanendael,  it  was 
decided  to  send  a  pinnace  and  a  caravel  with  part  of 
the  troops  after  Eelkins,  whom  they  overtook  near 
Fort  Orange.  He  had  already  collected  a  large 
quantity  of  furs,  which  were  confiscated,  and  the  ship 
was  escorted  down  the  bay  to  start  the  homeward  trip 
without  cargo,  saving  ballast. 

,  Other  troubles  faced  van  Twiller  on  the  Connecticut 
river,  where,  in  1632,  large  tracts  of  land  had  been 
purchased  from  the  Indians  and  where,  on  the  present 
site  of  Hartford,  Fort  "De  Goede  Hoop"  had  been 
erected.     Van  Tvidller  appointed  as  commander  of  the 


and  7 he  United  States  31 

new  fort  his  former  playmate,  Jacobus  van  Corlaer, 
who  also  came  from  Nykerk,  while  Hans  Janse  Een- 
cluys  was  put  in  charge  of  the  two  cannon  which 
had  been  placed  on  the  fort.  At  the  mouth  of  the 
river  thej'  nailed  to  a  large  tree  the  arms  of  the  States- 
General,  which  place  was  called  Kieviet's  Hoek. 

The  English  people  of  the  Plymouth  colony,  how- 
ever, hardly  relished  these  proceedings  and  in  order 
to  show  that  they  did  not  recognize  the  claims  of  the 
Dutch,  in  1635,  the  younger  John  Winthrop,  acting 
under  orders,  pulled  down  the  arms  of  Holland  at 
Kievit's  Hoek  and  erected  a  fort  which  he  called 
Saybrook.  When  van  Twiller  learned  of  this,  he 
sent  a  sloop  from  New  Amsterdam  with  soldiers  to  re- 
gain possession,  but,  as  the  commander  of  this  sloop 
found  the  fort  armed  with  two  cannon,  which  would 
necessitate  a  rather  vigorous  fight,  they  returned  to 
the  town,  mindful  of  the  instructions  from  home  to 
avoid  war  at  any  cost. 

In  the  year  before,  Lieutenant  William  Holmes  had 
sailed  up  the  river  to  take  possession  of  some  lands 
which  had  been  purchased  from  the  Mohegan  Indians. 
As  they  passed  fort  "De  Goede  Hoop,"  the  com- 
mander summoned  them  to  return,  as,  otherwise 
they  would  be  fired  upon.  Holmes  replied  that  he 
was  acting  under  orders  of  the  Governor  of  Plymouth 
and  would  go  on,  volley  or  no  volley,  and  the  Dutch 
again  had  to  pocket  their  pride  and  let  him  pass. 
Holmes  thereupon  proceeded  to  Windsor  where  he  built 
a  house  with  a  strong  stockade  around  it.  Later  van 
Twiller  sent  a  force  of  70  men  to  drive  the  English 
from  their  stronghold  but  as  such  evacuation  could 
only  be  obtained  by  a  \agorous  fight,  and  not  by  par- 
liamentary negotiations,  they  had  to  return  to  New 
Amsterdam  vsnthout  having  accomplished  anything. 


32 


The  Dutch  in  Neiv  Netherland 


Governor 
Kieft  and  the 
Indian  wars 


It  can  be  fully  realized  how  irritating  these  pro- 
hibitive instructions  were  for  a  young  man  like 
Wouter  van  Twiller,  and  to  do  him  justice,  it  should 
be  said  that  in  cases  where  there  was  no  question  of 
the  rights,  as  between  Dutch  and  English,  he  proved 
to  be  of  the  right  mettle,  and  not  afraid  to  have  re- 
course to  force  of  arms. 

Witness  his  proceedings  in  reference  to  the  Indians, 
whom  he  held  to  a  strict  accounting  for  any  misdeeds 
they  committed,  regardless  of  whether  the  victim  was 
English  or  Dutch,  and  by  keeping  order  amongst  the 
aborigines  in  this  territory,  he  certainly  strengthened 
the  Dutch  territorial  rights. 

Though  the  colony  had  prospered  greatly  under  the 
rule  of  van  Twiller,  during  which  time  a  second 
church  was  built  in  New  Amsterdam  and  a  large 
number  of  windmills  were  erected  on  Manhattan,  he 
was  not  without  enemies,  and  the  end  of  his  reign  was 
drawing  near.  Domine  Bogardus  denounced  him  to 
the  States-General  for  peculation  and  for  favoring  his 
uncle's  colony  at  Rensselaerwj'k;  this  resulted  in  his 
dismissal  from  office  while  the  Company  was  investi- 
gating the  charges  made  against  him. 

As  his  successor  was  appointed  Willem  Kieft,  and  if 
ever  a  bad  choice  was  made  by  a  company  having 
charge  of  such  large  territory,  it  was  made  in  this 
case.  It  is  hard  to  understand  why  the  Directors  of 
the  West  India  Company  selected  him,  as  it  appears 
that  there  were  many  rumors  about  his  former  life, 
and  it  may  be  fairly  deduced  that  his  antecedents 
were  not  properly  investigated,  but  that  his  promises 
of  enforcing  reforms  won  him  the  appointment. 

Kieft  seems  to  have  been  a  man  without  sagacity  or 
diplomacy,  which  qualities  were  of  the  utmost  necess- 


and  The  United  States  33 

ity  ill  a  country  populated  by  so  many  Indian  tribes, 
all  having  their  differences  and  grievances. 

Moreover,  through  a  more  liberal  way  of  encourag- 
ing emigration,  since  1638,  Huguenots,  English  and 
other  settlers  had  begun  to  arrive  in  the  colony,  and 
these  different  units  likewise  had  to  be  kept  at  peace 
with  each  other.  It  had  been  decided  that  foreigners 
should  have  the  same  rights  as  Hollanders  and  that 
all  monopolies  should  be  abandoned.  Emigration 
was  further  encouraged  by  free  transportation  to  New 
Netherland  of  intending  settlers  with  their  families, 
who  then  received  free  of  charge  farms,  cattle  and 
implements,  for  which  they  had  to  pay,  for  6  years, 
an  annual  rental  of  about  $200;  while  further  pro- 
visions were  made  for  loans  of  money,  and  for  the 
supply  of  necessaries  on  credit. 

Kieft  arrived  in  March,  1638,  on  the  ship  "Haring" 
and  at  once  took  a  strong  hold  of  the  affairs  of  Gov- 
ernment. As  his  councillor  he  appointed  Jean  La 
Montague,  a  Huguenot  physician,  and  between  them 
they  constituted  the  whole  Government,  La  Montagne 
having  one  vote  and  Kieft  two. 

Kieft's  administration  was  one  of  proclamations, 
entirely  ignoring  the  wishes  of  the  population.  No 
trading  was  allowed  without  a  license,  capital  punish- 
ment was  instituted,  sailors  were  not  allowed  to  stay 
on  shore  after  sundown  without  special  permission, 
and  so  forth. 

One  of  his  first  acts  was  to  build  a  brewery,  the 
first  in  the  United  States,  while  he  also  erected  a 
hotel  at  the  corner  of  Pearl  Street  and  Coenties  Slip, 
which  became  later  the  Stadthuys  or  City  Hall. 

The  same  iron  hand  with  which  Kieft  started  out  to 
rule  the  burghers  of  New  Amsterdam,  he  meant  to  be 


34  The  Dutch  in  New  Nethcrland 

felt  by  the  Indians  of  the  neighboring  territories,  and 
it  is  this  rule  by  force,  without  diplomacy  or  wisdom, 
which  was  the  cause  of  the  manj' bloody  massacres  and 
the  almost  total  devastation  of  New  Netherland  dur- 
ing his  administration. 

It  appears  that  some  pigs  were  stolen  from  a  settler 
in  Staten  Island  by  one  of  the  Company's  servants, 
but  it  was  claimed  that  the  theft  had  been  committed 
by  some  of  the  Raritan  Indians,  who  lived  twenty 
miles  inland.  Without  proper  investigation,  Kieft, 
in  order  to  punish  them,  sent  a  company  of  soldiers 
who  killed  several,  burned  their  houses  anrl  destroyed 
their  crops.  The  Raritans  revenged  themselves  by 
massacring  a  settlement  in  Staten  Island;  which  Kieft 
met  by  offering  a  premium  for  every  Raritan 's   head. 

At  the  same  time  a  wheelwright  of  Manhattan, 
Claes  Smit,  had  been  murdered  by  a  Weckquaesgeck 
Indian  of  Yonkers,  in  settlement  of  an  old  score,  and 
the  sachem  of  his  tribe  refused  to  give  up  the  mur- 
derer. In  order  to  be  able  to  insist  upon  the  giving 
up  of  the  culprit,  which  might  mean  war,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  put  the  town  in  a  state  of  defense  and  re- 
pair the  fort.  In  order  to  raise  the  revenue  to  cover 
the  cost  of  these  repairs,  Kieft  laid  a  tax  on  the  river 
Indians,  which  act  greatly  incensed  the  whole  Dutch 
population,  as  this  was  contrary  to  all  the  precedents 
and  principles  of  the  Dutch,  always  ardent  defenders 
of  the  maxim   "no  taxation   without  representation." 

A  similar  event  happened  in  Hackensack,  where  a 
settler  was  shot  and  killed  by  a  drunken  Indian.  The 
chiefs  of  the  murderer's  tribe  offered  to  pay  800 
fathoms  of  wampum,  or  bead  money,  to  the  victim's 
widow,  in  atonement  for  the  deed,  but  claimed  that 
they  could  not  deliver  the  murderer  as  he  had  fled  to 
the  Haverstraw  Indians. 


arid  The  United  States  35 

A  few  months  later  a  party  of  Mohawks,  armed  with 
Muskets,  came  down  the  river  to  gather  tribute  from  gronk's 
the  river  tribes  who,  greatly  alarmed,  sought  refuge  treaty 
in  Pavonia  and  Manhattan.  This  seemed  to  Kieft  an 
exceptional  opportunity  to  settle  his  grievances  and  in 
the  middle  of  the  night  he  sent  down  his  soldiers, 
who  massacred  120  Indians,  bringing  in  the  heads  of 
their  victims  as  trophies  of  war.  This  resulted  in  a 
general  warfare,  with  continuous  murder  and  retalia- 
tion on  both  sides.  After  a  while,  however,  the 
Indians  as  well  as  the  Dutch  began  to  understand  that 
the  carrying  on  of  a  war  is  a  costly  affair.  Both  sides 
began  to  get  tired  of  the  controvers}-  and  at  last  a 
treaty  of  peace  was  signed  at  the  home  of  Jonas  Bronk, 
in  the  present  Borough  of  the  Bronx. 

Notwithstanding  this  treaty  it  was  found  that  the 
peacemaking  was  premature,  and  hostilities  began  a- 
new,  until  a  force  of  150  Dutch  soldiers,  under  com- 
mand of  Captain  James  Underbill,  an  exile  from 
Boston,  defeated  the  Algonquins  near  Stamford  on  a 
clear  winter  night,  leaving  700  dead  Indians  on  the 
field.  Ere  long  the  tribes  on  Long  Island  and  West- 
chester sued  for  peace,  which  finally  ended  the  war. 

The  greatest  burden  of  these  wars  naturally  fell  on 
the  people,  who  had  to  pay  taxes  to  meet  expenses, 
and  great  dissatisfaction  was  felt  wdth  the  rule 
of  Kieft.  In  the  meantime  a  council  of  eight  men  had 
been  chosen,  as  Kieft  found  it  was  impossible  to  pro- 
ceed altogether  without  consulting  the  representa- 
tives of  the  people.  Six  months  after  the  war  these 
eight  men  addressed  a  letter  to  the  States  General 
explaining  how  the  country  had  been  devastated  and 
asking  the  recall  of  Kieft,  charging  him  with  the 
responsibility  of  causing  the  war,  Melyn  and  Kuyter, 


36 


The  Dutch  in  New  Netherland 


Pieter 

Stuyvesant 

appointed 

Governor 


members  of  this  council,  taking  the  initiative  in  the 
accusation  against  Kieft. 

After  this  letter  reached  Holland,  the  Company  de- 
cided to  relieve  Kieft  of  the  administration  of  the 
Colon}'  and  appointed  in  his  place  Pieter  Stuyvesant, 
formerly  Governor  of  Cura9ao. 

If  anybod}'  could  be  expected  to  regain  the  con- 
fidence of  the  people  and  to  be  received  with  the  re- 
spect due  to  an  officer  of  such  high  rank,  it  would  be 
Stuyvesant, who  had  a  long,  honorable,  military  career 
behind  him,  and  who  carried  the  proof  of  being  a 
brave  soldier  around  with  him  in  the  form  of  a  wooden 
leg,  having  lost  the  natural  one  in  one  of  the  West 
Indian  wars. 

No  matter  how  much  respect  a  military  Governor 
may  command,  or  how  true  a  servant  of  his  superiors 
he  may  be,  as  a  civil  administrator  he  often  proves  a 
failure  if  he  does  not  alter  his  tactics,  and  Stuj'vesant 
was  no  exception.  The  colonists  of  New  Amsterdam 
were  free-born  burghers,  not  soldiers  who  could  be 
ridden  over  roughshod. 

In  the  fatherland  they  had  been  brought  up  with  a 
firm  belief  in  representative  government  and  this  be- 
lief had  not  left  them  when  setting  forth  to  the  New 
World,  as  subsequent  events  will  show. 

Stuyvesant  arrived  in  New  Amsterdam  on  May  24th 
and  was  ceremoniously  welcomed  by  the  population. 
With  him  came  his  wife,  who  was  accompanied  to  the 
colony  by  her  sister,  Mrs.  Baj-ard  and  her  three 
children. 

On  his  arrival  he  found  the  fort  in  a  deplorable 
state.  Cows  grazed  on  the  grassy  slopes  and  trampled 
down  the  walls,  while  hogs  rooted  under  the  palisa- 
does    of  the  stockade.     At   once  he  began  levying 


and  The  United  States 


37 


taxes  to  repair  and  rebuild  the  stronghold,  placing  a 
new  excise  on  spirits  and  wines,  and  increasing  the 
export  duty  on  furs,  in  order  to  meet  the  expenses. 

At  the  outset  this  caused  trouble  with  the  council, 
who  claimed  that  the  company  should  pay  for  the 
defences  itself,  but  should  not  levy  taxes  from  the 
burghers  for  this  purpose.  As  in  the  days  of  Kieft, 
proclamation  followed  proclamation  and  the  people 
began  to  ask  themselves  if  they  were  so  much  better 
off  than  under  the  rule  of  the  former  Governor.  One 
of  the  leaders  of  the  opposition  was  Adriaan  van  der 
Donck,  who  incurred  the  disfavor  of  Stuyvesant  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  Governor  threw  him  into 
prison. 

It  would  lead  us  too  far  to  relate  in  detail  all  the 
squabbles  between  Stuyvesant  and  the  council,  but 
suffice  to  say  that  they  resulted  at  last  in  the  sending 
of  the  famous  "  Vertoogh  "  or  demonstration  to  the 
States-General  ;  this  was  written  by  Adriaan  van  der 
Donck,  who,  in  the  meantime  had  been  released  from 
prison,  on  the  return  of  Melyn  and  Kuyter.  Van 
der  Donck,  with  two  others  chosen  from  the  foremost 
burghers,  was  sent  to  Holland  to  present  this  docu- 
ment to  their  High  Mightinesses  at  the  Hague,  and 
pleaded  so  well,  that  in  1635  New  Amsterdam  was  in- 
corporated as  a  city  with  a  free  municipal  government, 
consisting  of  a  schout,  two  burgomasters,  and  five 
schepens.  At  this  moment  the  city  could  boast  of  a 
population  of  about  800  souls. 

One  of  the  main  grievances  against  Stuyvesant  was 
his  intolerance  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  religion, 
forbidding  the  erection  of  any  churches  except  Cal- 
vinistic  Dutch  Reformed,  and  in  many  cases  cruelly 
persecuting  people  belonging  to  any  other  faith.     It 


Religious 
Intolerance 
of  the 
Governor 


38 


The  Dutch  in  Nezv  Netherland 


The  patroons 
and  the 
Governor 


seems  strange  that  a  man  like  Stuyvesant  should  have 
shown  such  intolerance,  coming,  as  he  did,  from  a 
country  whose  people  had  fought  for  years  for  relig- 
ious freedom  and  where  no  restrictions  existed  re- 
garding worship  according  to  individual  belief.  It 
should  further  be  mentioned  that  since  the  West 
India  Company  had  offered  more  liberal  terms  to  in- 
tending emigrants,  quite  an  influx  of  foreign  emi- 
grants had  begun,  of  people  who  fled  from  religious 
persecution  in  their  own  country.  There  were  Swed- 
ish and  German  Lutherans,  Baptists  from  Rhode 
Island  and  Quakers  from  Boston  ;  while  in  1654  the 
first  Jews,  23  in  number,  arrived  in  New  Amsterdam, 
having  fled  from  Brazil  after  its  recapture  by  the 
Portuguese. 

Public  sentiment  revolted  against  the  persecution 
of  these  people,  who  had  expected  to  find  in  New 
Netherland  a  haven  of  refuge,  and  when  remonstran- 
ces were  made  to  the  States-General,  they  found 
sympathetic  listeners,  as  it  also  was  against  the  wishes 
of  the  people  in  the  fatherland.  The  Governor  re- 
ceived a  rebuke,  and  this  seems  to  have  ended  the 
controversy. 

It  will  be  necessary  to  leave  this  city  for  a  while 
and  proceed  up  the  Hudson  to  the  colony  of  Rens- 
selaerwyk,  established  by  Kiliaan  van  Rensselaer. 
This  colony  had  prospered  more  than  any  other  in 
New  Netherland,  and  with  prosperity  came  a  certain 
overbearance  on  the  part  of  the  patroons.  They  had 
always  refused  to  acknowledge  the  authority  of  the 
Governor  at  New  Amsterdam,  claiming  that  they  had 
received  their  grants  from  the  States-General  direct, 
and  not  from  the  Company.  Emboldened  by  the 
ease  with  which  they  could  resist  the  Governor,  they 
even  proceeded  beyond  the  limits  of  the  original  grant 


and  The  Lhiited  States  39 

and  seized  an  island  in  the  Hudson  on  wliich  van 
Rensselaer  erected  a  fortress.  This  happened  during 
the  reign  of  van  Twiller,  who  wrote  him  asking  by 
what  right  he  had  seized  the  island.  The  answer  was 
'  ^By  wapen  regV '  ( by  the  right  of  arms  )  and  this 
seems  to  have  settled  the  question.  It  was  discovered 
that  many  furs  had  been  bought  in  his  dominion  by 
private  traders,  thus  depriving  him  of  the  profits  of 
this  traffic,  which  induced  him  to  invest  this  for- 
tress, called  Rensselaerstyn,  with  another  right, 
namely  the  "staple  right,"  levying  tribute  from  every 
passing  vessel.  One  day  when  Govert  Loockermans 
passed  the  fortress  in  his  yacht  "De  Goede  Hoop,"  a 
shot  was  fired  from  the  fort  and  he  was  ordered  to 
strike  his  flag.  When  asked  for  whom,  the  watch- 
master  Koorn  of  the  fort  replied  ' '  Voor  Heer  Kiliaan 
en  het  slapehrgt  van  Rensselaerstyn''''  (for  Lord 
Kilian  and  the  staple  right  of  Rensselaerstyn),  upon 
which  Loockermans  replied  that  he  would  not  strike 
the  flag  for  anybody  but  the  Prince  of  Orange  and 
their  High  Mightinesses  the  States-General,  upon 
which  three  shots  were  fired,  damaging  the  ship. 
For  this  act  Koorn  was  summoned  to  New  Amster- 
dam and  punished. 

Sundry  similar  acts  and  the  sale  of  firearms  to  the 
Indians,  which  was  forbidden  on  Manhattan,  caused 
many  wordy  wars  between  Stuyvesant  and  the  pat- 
roons,  until  at  last  the  matter  was  laid  before  the 
States-General,  which  resulted  in  the  curtailing  of  the 
powers  of  the  lordly  masters  of  Rensselaerstyn. 
Another  important  event  during  Stuyvesant 's  admin- 
istration was  the  capture  and  annexation  of  the 
Swedish  settlements  on  the  Delaware  river. 

William  Usselinx,  an  Antwerp  merchant  who  had 
done  much    to  promote  the  founding  of    the  West 


40  The  Dutch  in  New  Netherland 

India  Company,  afterwards  approached  King  Gustavus 
Adolphus  of  Sweden  with  similar  proposals,  leading 

The  capture  to  the  formation  of  the  Soutli  Company,   which  sent 

of  New 

Sweden  ^^'^  ships  with  emigrants  and  implements  to  the  Dela- 

ware river,  where  on  the  South  shore,  under  leader- 
ship of  Pieter  Minuit,  who,  in  the  meantime,  had 
entered  the  service  of  Sweden,  they  built  fort  Christina, 
followed  later  by  a  settlement  under  John  Printz  on 
Tinicum  island,  about  12  miles  south  of  Philadelphia, 
called  New  Gottenberg.  Also  some  English  from 
New  Haven  tried  to  settle  in  that  section,  on  Salem 
creek,  but  they  were  promptly  deported  by  the  Dutch 
and  sent  back  to  New  Haven. 

Though  the  Dutch  were  far  from  pleased  with  this 
invasion  of  the  Swedes  in  their  territory,  their  strong- 
holds in  this  section  were  not  powerful  enough  to 
resist  by  force  or  arms,  as  their  only  fortress  was  a 
fort  called  Nassau,  on  the  Delaware,  and  afterwards  a 
stockade  on  the  present  site  of  Philadelphia,  erected 
by  Andries  Hudde  and  named  Beversvrede,  the  total 
garrison  of  both  fortifications  being  six  men.  The 
same  reason  which  kept  the  Dutch  from  opposing  the 
English  by  the  force  of  arms  in  the  occupation  of  their 
territory,  withheld  them  from  ousting  the  Swedes,  as 
the  States-General  did  not  wish  to  run  the  risk  of 
getting  into  war  with  another  power  as  long  as  they 
were  still  fighting  Spain. 

In  1651  however,  Stuyvesant  had  straightened  out 
other  matters,  so  that  he  could  devote  more  time  to 
the  invaders  in  the  south.  Moreover,  the  treaty  of 
Miinster  had  been  signed,  while  the  Swedes  were  in 
the  midst  of  their  war  with  Poland,  so  that  no  better 
opportunity  could  be  expected.  He  therefore  made  a 
call  for  volunteers  in  New  Amsterdam  and  succeeded 
in  forming  an  army  of  about  700,  which  was  more  than 


and  The  United  States  41 

sufficient  to  overpower  the  Swedish  colony,  the  whole 
population  of  which  did  not  consist  of  more  than  500 
all  told.  With  this  force  he  sailed  for  the  Delaware, 
where  he  demanded  surrender  of  both  fortresses, 
which  was  promptly  acquiesced  by  Prince,  without  a 
drop  of  blood  being  shed.  Thus  ended  the  power  of 
Sweden  in  the  new  world,  the  colonists  mostly  pre- 
ferring to  stay  under  the  Dutch  rule  instead  of  repatri- 
ating, the  choice  given  them  by  Stuyvesant. 

While  Stuyvesant  was  busy  settling  matters  on  the 
Delaware,  reports  reached  him  of  a  renewed  outbreak 
amongst  the  Indians  and  he  had  to  hurr)'  north.  As 
usual  the  cause  had  to  be  found  in  the  unjustified 
killing  of  an  Indian  by  a  white  man,  and  in  a  few  days 
about  350  colonists  had  been  wantonly  slain.  The 
fortifications  were  repaired  and  under  the  able  leader- 
ship of  Stuyvesant  peace  was  soon  restored,  but  at  the 
cost  of  a  renewed  disgust  on  the  part  of  the  people 
with  the  Company  who  failed  to  protect  them  in  time 
of  danger. 

As  we  have  seen  before,  the  income  of  the  West 
India  Company  originated  mainly  from  the  capture  of 
Spanish  fleets,  as  development  of  peaceful  trading 
and  colonizing  was  a  branch  of  industry  which  was 
hardly  considered  worthy  of  its  attention.  Since  the 
war  with  Spain  had  ended,  this  source  of  revenue  had 
dried  up,  while  in  1651  a  further  blow  was  struck  at 
the  prosperity  of  this  corporation  by  the  navigation 
act,  which  stipulated  that  all  goods  which  came  on  the 
English  markets,  should  be  brought  in  English  ships. 
These  two  causes  had  impoverished  the  Company  so 
much,  that  when,  in  1664,  rumors  were  abroad  that 
an  English  fleet  had  been  despatched  with  the  intent 
of  capturing  New  Netherland,  and  Stuy\'esant  asked 
for  ships  and  reinforcements,  the  Company  was  not 


Fall  of  New 
Netherland 


42  7 he  Dutch  in  New  Netherland 

able  to  give  them,  as  it  was  then  tottering  on  the 
verge  of  bankruptcy. 

According  to  the  views  of  King  Charles  II.  of  Eng- 
land, New  Netherland  belonged  to  England  already, 
and  he  therefore  felt  himself  justified  in  granting 
these  lands  to  his  brother,  the  Duke  of  York  and 
Albany,  simply  ignoring  the  doctrine  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth. In  order  to  expel  the  trespassers,  a  fleet  of  four 
vessels  was  equipped,  while  the  States-General  in 
Holland  were  hoodwinked  by  the  claim  that  this  fleet 
was  sent  to  enforce  Episcopacy  upon  the  New  England 
Colonies.  The  fleet  really  did  sail  to  Boston,  under 
command  of  Colonel  Richards  Nicolls,  already  ap- 
pointed Governor  of  the  colony  to  be  seized.  From 
there  it  sailed  to  New  Amsterdam,  and  on  Saturday, 
August  the  30th,  1664,  came  up  the  bay  and  demanded 
surrender  of  the  city.  It  was  found  that  Nicolls  had 
omitted  to  sign  the  paper  containing  this  demand,  and 
it  was  sent  back  for  his  signature,  which  gave  Stuyve- 
sant  an  opportunity  to  consult  with  the  burgomasters 
and  schepens.  The  governor  did  not  wish  to  surren- 
der, but  as  the  city  was  in  no  condition  to  offer 
an}'  resistance  and  the  attacking  force  more  than 
overwhelming,  the  burgomasters  and  schepens  would 
not  listen  to  such  proposals,  as  they  would  only  cause 
unnecessary  bloodshed  and  could  not  change  the  final 
outcome.  Moreover,  they  were  not  sorry  to  bid  fare- 
well to  a  ruler  like  the  West  India  Company  who  had 
failed  to  protect  them  in  time  of  danger,  had  levied 
hea^'y  taxes  and  had  trampled  on  their  ideals  of 
representative  government;  but,  on  the  contrary,  had 
burdened  them  with  harsh  administrators  who  had 
ruled  them  in  an  arbitrary  way,  and  through  mis- 
management had  been  instrumental  in  causing  them 
to  lose  what  they  had  gathered  through  years  of  weary 


and  The  United  States 


43 


toil.  Capitulation  was  therefore  decided  upon,  and 
on  Tuesday  morning  Nicolls  stepped  ashore  and  took 
over  the  reins  of  government. 

Before  bidding  farewell  to  Stuyvesant  and  his  rule, 
for  the  sake  of  completeness,  we  might  mention  the 
name  of  Anton  van  Korlaer,  a  trumpeter  of  the 
garrison,  and,  according  to  the  popular  ver.sion,  his 
right-hand  man  Friday;  authentic  history  does  not 
reveal  anything  remarkable  about  him,  so  that  the 
glory  of  this  name  may  be  granted  to  be  due  to  the 
need  of  story  writers  of  later  date  of  material  to  work 
upon.  It  is  claimed  that  when  Stuyvesant  found 
little  support  for  his  plans  of  resistance  amongst  the 
burghers  in  New  Amsterdam,  he  despatched  van 
Korlaer  to  summon  the  colonists  along  the  Hv;dson 
to  the  rescue.  It  happened  to  be  very  stormy  weather, 
and  when  he  came  to  the  Harlem  river,  no  boatman 
could  be  found  to  ferry  him  across,  as  the  attempt  to 
do  so  was  considered  foolhardy.  Van  Korlaer  was 
not  to  be  thwarted  by  the  elements  in  his  determina- 
tion to  reach  the  other  side,  and  swore  that  he  would 
get  across  '' In  spyt  van  den  duiveV^  (in  spite  of  the 
devil).  He  thereupon  endeavored  to  swim  across,  but 
was  drowned  in  the  attempt,  and  since  that  day  the 
scene  of  this  occtirrence  is  called  "Spuyten  Duyvel." 

After  the  capitulation  and  the  landing  of  Nicolls, 
the  banner  of  St.  George  was  run  up  to  take  the  place 
of  the  tricolor  of  the  Republic,  and  it  may  well  be 
asked  why  no  efforts  were  made  by  the  States-General 
to  retake  the  colony;  but  apparently  other  matters  of 
weightier  importance  prevented  them  from  taking 
drastic  measures,  as  soon  afterwards  we  see  the 
Republic  at  war  with  England,  with  whom  it  had  been 
on  such  friendly  footing  for  so  many  years. 


Anton  van 
Korlaer  and 
Spuyten 
Duyvel 


44 


TJic  Dutch  in  Neiv  Netherland 


Recapture  by 
the  Dutch 


New 

Netherland 
exchanged  for 
Surinam 


New  Amsterdam  was  rechristened  New  York  and 
the  fort  named  Fort  James,  which  it  retained  for  nine 
years,  i.  e.:  until  1673  when  the  Dutch  were  engaged 
in  their  third  war  with  England. 

At  last  it  seemed  that  a  fleet  could  be  spared  to 
attend  to  matters  in  the  New  World  and  in  July  of 
that  3'ear  a  Dutch  fleet  of  five  vessels,  under  command 
of  Commodore  Cornells  Evertsen,  Jr.,  sailed  up  the 
bay  and  demanded  surrender. 

If  the  Dutch  should  be  taken  to  task  for  having 
their  defenses  in  such  a  deplorable  condition  that  no 
resistance  could  be  offered  when  a  European  enemy 
threatened  them  under  the  rule  of  Stuyvesant,  the 
same  can  be  said  of  the  English  on  this  occasion,  and 
after  an  attempt  at  delay  by  negotiation,  the  city 
surrendered  and  once  more  the  flag  of  Holland  floated 
over  this  offspring  of  the  land  of  dykes  and  water. 

The  second  occupation,  however,  lasted  only  for 
a  short  while,  as  the  next  year  a  treaty  of  peace 
between  the  two  powers  was  signed  at  Westminster, 
by  which  it  was  agreed  that  New  Netherland  would  be 
given  back  to  England  in  exchange  for  the  Surinam 
Colony  in  South  America.  At  the  present  day  it  seems 
rather  odd  that  at  that  time  it  was  conceded  by  the 
English  that  in  granting  this  exchange,  the  Dutch  got 
the  best  of  the  bargain,  but  then  again  it  should  be 
remembered  that  in  those  times  possessions  in  the 
tropical  belt  were  valued  much  higher  than  those  of  a 
northern  climate.  And  after  all,  considering  that  the 
English  have  been  ousted  for  more  than  a  century 
from  these,  their  erstwhile  provinces,  and  that 
Surinam  even  at  the  present  day  is  still  a  Dutch 
possession,  it  may  be  that  the  Dutch  did  get  the  better 
half  of  the  bargain  after  all. 


a7id  The  United  States 


45 


Curiously  enough,  bj'  the  way,  Surinam,  which  is 
called  by  English  speaking  people  Dutch  Guiana, 
takes  its  name  from  the  Earl  of  Surrey  after  whom  it 
was  named  Surreyham,  and  which  was  afterwards 
changed  by  the  Dutch  to  its  present  form. 

After  having  seen  the  Dutch  flag  hauled  down  for 
good  in  the  northern  part  of  the  western  hemisphere, 
let  us  analyze  the  people  who  raised  it  here  and  who 
had  to  live  on  in  this  country  under  new  conditions. 

It  has  often  been  claimed  that  representative 
government  of  the  people  in  the  western  hemisphere, 
is  not  of  Dutch  origin,  as  some  of  the  English  colonies 
had  local  government  long  before  a  city  charter  was 
granted  to  New  Amsterdam.  This  cannot  be  denied, 
but  at  the  same  time  it  should  be  conceded  that  this 
was  not  due  to  a  lack  of  clamor  for  such  government 
on  the  part  of  the  people,  as  has  been  seen  in  the 
preceding  pages,  and  which  was  the  cause  of 
continuous  disputes  between  the  burghers  and  the 
Governors.  Moreover,  conditions  in  the  other  colonies 
were  different.  No  greedy  corporations  held  sway, 
and  the  fatherland  was  not  engaged  in  a  long  lasting 
war  with  a  mighty  power,  which  required  the  full 
attention  of  the  Government  at  home,  while  the  Dutch 
at  that  time  were,  as  they  are  to-day,  a  law-abiding 
people,  who  would  not  easily  endeavor  to  obtain  by 
revolt  against  the  acknowledged  authorities  what  they 
could  not  gain  by  patient  and  persistent  remonstration. 
They  could  also  hardly  afford  to  sever  themselves 
from  the  Government  to  which  they  looked  for  protec- 
tion in  time  of  danger,  surrounded  as  they  were  by 
savages  who  outnumbered  them  a  thousand  fold. 

They  were,  however,  not  lacking  in  ideals  of  poli- 
tical and  religious  freedom  such  as  they  had  learned 


The  Dutch  and 
English  people 
and  repre- 
sentative 
Government 


46 


The  Dutch  in  Neiv  Nethcrland 


Religious 
Freedom  and 
Public  Schools 


at  home  and  which  they  transplanted  to  American  soil. 
Kven  if  they  had  a  long  struggle  before  they  ol)tained 
that  freedom  for  which  they  clamored,  it  should  be 
noted  that  this  struggle  never  ceased,  and  when  at 
last  the  time  came  that  these  ideals  won  the  field,  the 
experience  in  popular  government  on  a  larger  scale 
than  the  administration  of  local  communities,  which 
the  Dutch  had  gained  in  their  fatherland,  was  of 
great  importance  in  forming  the  first  confederacy  in 
later  years. 

In  other  matters,  which  are  now  the  fundamental 
principles  of  our  great  republic,  the  Dutch  were  far 
ahead  of  their  English  neighbors.  Religious  freedom 
was  an  acknowledged  right,  and,  in  those  days,  a 
factor  of  no  mean  importance,  and  we  have  seen  how 
Stuyvesant  incurred  the  general  disapproval  when  he 
tried  to  meddle  with  this  principle.  Public  education 
stood  on  a  far  higher  level  than  anywhere  else  in  the 
world,  and  no  distinction  was  made  between  boys  and 
girls,  both  going  to  the  same  schools  and  receiving 
the  same  education,  being  the  same  principle  which 
is  adhered  to  in  the  present  American  public  school 
system.  In  other  countries  this  was  as  yet  something 
unheard  of,  and  the  schooling  which  the  girls  received 
was  generally  of  a  very  limited  character.  The 
schooling  of  the  children  was  considered  a  duty  of  the 
State,  and  it  created  a  great  deal  of  dissatisfaction  and 
hostility  when,  under  English  rule,  this  item  was 
taken  off  the  list  of  public  charges.  The  result  was 
that  this  matter  was  taken  in  hand  by  the  Dutch 
churches  and,  as  we  can  see  to-day  in  Canada  how 
instrumental  church  education  is  in  retaining  the  old 
national  tongue  and  customs,  it  wnll  readily  be  seen 
how  this  drastic  measure  of  the  English  aided  to  keep 
the  Dutch  together  as  one  unit  in  an  English  colony. 


iDid  771  e  United  States 


47 


Owing  to  the  greater  freedom  of  speech  and  the 
written  word  in  the  Dutch  Republic,  printing  presses 
had  plenty  of  work  and,  as  a  result,  books  were  cheap. 
They  were  obtainable  for  everybody  and  led  to  a 
broader  education  and  more  liberal  ideas.  Such  oc- 
currences as  burning  of  witches  would  have  been 
impossible  in  New  Netherland,  as  the  people  were  too 
v.-ell  read  and  too  enlightened  to  make  such  things 
possible. 

In  those  daj-s,  when  newspapers  were  not  yet  in 
existence,  political  events  were  considered  fitting 
material  for  sermons  from  the  pulpit  and  usually,  to 
be  a  Domine  or  preacher,  meant  to  be  a  harsh  critic  of 
the  Government.  Especially  Domine  Bogardus  was 
an  ardent  agitator,  and  when  the  good  burghers  pre- 
pared themselves  on  Sunday  for  divine  service,  they 
could  be  assured  that  they  would  not  have  to  complain 
about  the  dulness  of  the  sermon,  which  goes  to  show 
that  New  York  of  to-day  is  not  so  very  different  from 
New  Amsterdam  after  all,  as  every  New  Yorker  will 
admit. 

They  were  plain  and  truly  democratic  people  that 
came  to  these  shores  in  those  days.  The  long  struggle 
against  the  common  foe  in  the  time  of  the  reformation 
had  levelled  caste  prejudice,  and  nobleman  and 
peasant  had  fought  side  by  side  against  the  Spanish 
oppressors.  No  royal  court,  w4th  retinue  of  lordly 
followers,  was  known  in  Holland,  and  the  foremost 
men  of  the  republic  were  those  who  had  distinguished 
themselves  by  valor,  strategy,  diplomacy  or  superior 
knowledge.  All  were  alike  and  equal,  and  it  was  only 
during  the  English  period  that  an  aristocracy  was 
formed  out  of  the  followers  belonging  to  the  Govern- 
or's  retinue. 


The  Church 
and  the  Dutch 
Domines 


The  Democra- 
tic Dutch 


48  The  Dutch  i7i  New  Netherland 

It  is  difficult  to  imagine  that  such  people  should 
consist  mainl}-  of  big,  stout,  lazy  fellows,  spending  the 
day  in  smoking  tobacco  out  of  long  churchwardens 
and  filling  in  the  rest  of  the  time  in  drinking  gin,  as 
some  of  the  caricaturists  of  later  day  so  fondly  picture 
them,  especially  when  it  is  remembered  that  the 
smoking  of  tobacco  was  not  in  common  usage  in  Hol- 
land in  those  days,  but  was  adopted  from  the  Con- 
necticut English. 

Referring  to  domestic  life,  we  might  also  cite  the 
Troubles  of  the  difficulties  of  the  housewTives  in  obtaining  suitable 
housewives  help.     In  the  early  days  every  woman  was,  as  a  matter 

of  course,  her  own  cook  and  had  to  attend  to  every- 
thing herself. 

As  prosperity  came  and  work  in  the  house  and  on 
the  farm  multiplied,  help  had  to  be  found,  and  as  this 
could  not  be  obtained  in  the  colon}',  girls  had  to  be 
sent  from  Holland.  There  were  a  great  many  single 
young  men  in  the  colony,  who  left  the  fatherland 
attracted  by  the  possibility  of  an  adventurous  life,  and 
who  were  eager  suitors  for  the  hand  of  the  maidens 
from  home.  The  result  was  that  the  housewives  did 
not  remain  long  in  possession  of  the  newly  acquired 
domestic  treasures  and  as  these  usually  came  out 
under  some  kind  of  a  contract,  the  passage  money 
having  been  paid  for  by  her  mistress,  many  were  the 
cases  of  breach  of  contract  which  were  brought  before 
the  magistrate  for  his  learned  decision,  and  apparently 
they  were  usually  decided  in  favor  of  the  wooing 
swain. 

By  and  by  it  became  possible  to  train  the  Indians  to 
do  housework,  which  helped  a  little,  and  afterwards 
these  were  supplemented  by  the  negro  slaves,  which 
the  West  India  Company  began  to  import  into  the 


ayid  The  United  States 


49 


colony,    though   very   much  against    the   will  of  the 
burghers. 

Before  passing  on  to  the  next  chapter  of  the 
history  of  the  Diitch  in  America,  it  should  be 
mentioned  that  Stuyvesant,  after  a  short  stay  in 
Holland,  in  order  to  justify  and  explain  his  conduct 
in  connection  with  his  surrender  of  the  city,  returned 
to  New  York,  where  he  retired  to  his  farm  on  the 
Bowery,  then  far  outside  the  city,  living  there  until 
his  death  in  1672,  at  eighty  years  of  age.  He  was 
buried  in  St.  Mark's  church  and  a  tablet  in  the  wall 
in  this  building  announces  this  fact  to  visitors. 

After  the  English  had  taken  possession  of  this 
colony,  and  the  people  had  at  last  got  rid  of  the 
hated  West  India  Company,  the  Dutch  soon  learned 
that  their  cherished  hopes  of  a  more  liberal  and  repre- 
sentative government  were  to  be  disappointed.  The 
promises  which  had  been  made  were  not  kept,  and 
though  it  is  impracticable  within  the  limits  of  this 
booklet,  to  relate  in  detail  all  the  controversies  which 
arose,  it  may  be  said  that  the  struggle  was  never 
given  up  and  when  at  last  the  Revolutionary  War 
broke  out,  which  was  to  free  the  American  colonies  for- 
ever from  the  yoke  of  European  denomination,  the 
people  of  this  province  had  been  well  prepared  to  take 
their  share  of  the  struggle,  through  this  never  ending 
fight  for  their  natural  rights. 

This  does  not  mean ,  however,  that  the  people  did 
not  have  their  temporary  successes,  as  shown  by  the 
fact  that  in  1683,  during  the  rule  of  Charles  II.  and 
under  Governor  Dongan,  a  charter  was  enacted  in- 
suring the  rights  of  the  people  by  means  of  a  perma- 
nent popular  representative  assembly. 


The  remaininK 
years  of 
Stu>-\'esant 


The  Dutch 
under  Einglish 
rule 


50  The  Dutch  in  New  Netherland 

Charles  II. died,  however,  before  he  had  signed  the 
document,  and  his  successor  the  Duke  of  York  and 
Albany,  refused  to  complete  the  work  begun  by  his 
brother,  and  sent  secret  instructions  that  the  charter 
should  be  forthwith  repealed. 

It  should  be  mentioned  that  it  was  in  this  charter 
that,  for  the  first  time  in  any  such  document,  the  ex- 
pression, '''The  People'"  was  used,  which,  in  the  later 
days,  was  to  become  a  term  of  such  sovereign  meaning. 

It  was  under  the  rule  of  King  James  II.  under 
which  name  the  Duke  of  York  and  Albany  ascended 
the  throne  of  England,  that  the  rights  of  the  people 
were  ignored  in  the  most  arbitrary  manner.  Not- 
withstanding all  grants  and  charters,  King  James 
united  New  England  and  New  York  in  one  province, 
appointing  as  Governor  of  the  new  territory  Governor 
Andros  of  Boston  and  recalling  Dongan,  who,  though 
an  Irish  Catholic,  was  esteemed  by  Protestants  and 
Catholics  alike.  Under  Governor  Andros  a  law  was 
passed  forbidding  the  bolting  of  meal  in  any  place  in 
the  province  except  New  York,  which  naturally  great- 
ly irritated  the  rural  population  and  the  inhabitants 
of  the  inland  towns. 

History  tells  us  that  the  Englishmen   at  home  did 
„.      -  -J        not  fare  better  than  the  colonists  in  America  regarding 

dethroned  infringement  of  their  rights;  oppression  in  England  led 

to  the  revolt  against  King  James,  who  fled  from  his 
country  in  December  1688,  and  the  invitation  to  Will- 
iam III.  of  Orange  to  take  up  the  reins  of  Government. 

After  William  III.  had  been  proclaimed  king  of  Eng- 
land, Governor  Andros  was  taken  prisoner  by  the 
people  of  Boston,  where  a  Committee  of  Safety  was 
organized  to  take  charge  of  public  affairs. 


episode 


a7id  The  Uyiited  States  51 

The  province  was  consequently  left  without  a  direct 
representative  of  the  reigning  sovereign,  while  the 
royal  governor  of  New  York,  Nicholson,  had  fled,  and 
the  remaining  officials  were  all  appointees  and  agents 
of  the  King  who  had  been  overthrown . 

Something  had  to  be  done  to  safe-guard  public  order 
and  to  protect  private  property;  and,  as  in  Boston,  a      The  Jacob 
Committee   of  Safetj-   was  organized  which  selected      ivcisler 
Jacob  Ivcisler  to  be  commander  of  the  fort. 

Jacob  Leisler  was  the  son  of  an  exiled  French  Hugue- 
not minister,  who  had  fled  to  Frankfort  in  Ger- 
many, where  Jacob  was  born.  Originally  he  enlisted 
as  a  soldier  in  the  service  of  the  Dutch  West  India 
Company,  and  rapidly  rose  to  higher  rank,  came 
afterwards  to  New  Netherland,  where  he  prospered 
and  at  the  time  of  this  episode,  was  a  merchant  and 
a  judge. 

As  the  representatives  of  the  new  King  did  not  ap- 
pear as  soon  as  expected,  Leisler  was  elected  Gover- 
nor of  the  province,  and  was  assisted  in  the  task  of 
governing  bj'  a  council  chosen  by  the  community. 
Exceptional  circumstances  necessitate  exceptional 
measures,  and  though  the  placing  in  power  of  Leisler 
was  done  without  consultation  wifh  the  Government 
at  home,  for  which  there  was  no  opportunity,  (and 
the  absence  of  which  opportunit}'  was  in  fact  the 
reason  why  this  power  was  conferred  upon  him)  his 
assumption  of  the  office  seemed  the  wisest  course  pos- 
sible under  the  circumstances,  and  as  he  took  up  the 
reins  of  government  by  the  wish  of  his  fellow  citizens, 
he  can  hardly  be  accused  of  usurpation  of  power.  It 
is  therefore  rather  remarkable  that  the  Dutch  Church, 
which  had  always  been  on  the  side  of  the  people,  in 
this  case  sided  with  the  royalists,  the  dismissed  digni- 


52  The  Dutch  in  New  Netherland 

taries  of  King  James;  and  that  the  Domines  de- 
nounced Leisler  from  the  pulpit  as  a  rebel  and  a 
usurper. 

Undoubtedly  this  was  due  to  a  great  extent  to  the 
fact  that  the  rich  aristocracy,  as  represented  by  these 
dignitaries,  had  become  a  mighty  factor  in  the  Church 
and  that  the  Domines  were  well  aware  that,  sooner  or 
later,  this  class  would  again  be  uppermost  in  the 
community.  The  plain  people  and  the  rural  popula- 
tion however  sided  with  the  Ivcisler  party  and  were 
greatly  embittered  against  their  pastors,  and  this  led 
to  open  acts  of  hostility,  so  that  many  of  the  clergy 
had  to  flee  from  the  city,  while  one  of  them  was 
thrown  into  prison. 

In  the  meantime  the  community  was  anxiously 
awaiting  the  agents  of  the  new  Government,  but,  as 
may  be  expected  after  the  overthrow  of  a  ruler,  so 
many  matters  had  to  be  attended  to  at  once,  that  the 
affairs  of  the  far-off  colonies  could  not  be  taken  in 
hand  immediately.  At  last  Sloughter  was  appointed 
Governor ;  he  was  shipwrecked  in  the  Bermudas  and 
sent  on  Captain  Ingoldsby  ahead  of  him,  who,  on  his 
arrival  at  New  York,  demanded  surrender  of  the  fort, 
but  as  he  came  without  credentials,  his  demand  was 
naturall}'  refused.  Three  months  later  Sloughter 
arrived,  and  the  administration  was  handed  over  to 
him  ;  whereupon  Iveisler,  at  the  instigation  of  his 
enemies,  was  arrested  on  the  charge  of  treason,  and 
the  same  fate  befell  his  son-in-law,   Milborne. 

They  were   tried   and   condemned  to  be  hanged, 
Iveisler  and  while  their  property  was  confiscated  ;   but  Sloughter 

his  son  in-law  before  signing  the  sentence,  wished  to  get  the  sanction 
of  the  King,  so  they  were  placed  in  prison  awaiting 
the  reply  from  England.    Such  delay,  however,  hardly 


executed 


and  The  U^iited  States  53 

suited  the  royalists,  who  arranged  a  banquet  to  which 
the  Governor  was  invited.  Later  in  the  evening, 
after  heated  arguments  and  under  the  influence  of 
strong  drink,  the  death  warrant  was  placed  before 
him  for  his  signature  and  he  yielded.  After  this  sig- 
nature had  been  obtained,  the  royalists  were  not  slow 
in  executing  the  sentence,  and  on  the  16th  of  May 
Iveisler  and  Milborne  were  hanged  and  buried  near 
the  gallows,  on  the  site  of  present  Tribune  Building, 
in  Nassau  Street. 

Afterwards  Parliament  legalized  Leisler's  action  and 
Queen  Anne  repealed  the  confiscation  of  his  and  Mil- 
borne's  property,  it  being  restored  to  their  respective 
heirs.  In  1698  the  bodies  were  exhumed  and  buried 
in  the  Dutch  Church  in  Garden  street,  now  Exchange 
Place. 

It  was  about  this  time,  in  1690,  during  the  French 
and  Indian  wars,  that  the  Dutch  settlement  in  the  Destruction  of 
Mohawk  valley,  Schenectady,  was  burned,  and  the  Schenectady 
majoritj'  of  the  inhabitants  murdered.  It  is  claimed 
that  the  name  Schenectady  is  of  Indian  origin,  but  we 
cannot  help  thinking  that  the  original  Dutch  name  of 
the  settlement,  Schoon-Echtenbeek,  may  have  some- 
thing to  do  with  the  later  title.  In  1689  Montreal  had 
been  destroyed  by  the  Mohawks,  the  allies  of  the 
English  and  Dutch,  leaving  a  score  to  be  settled  by 
the  French. 

Though  the  settlement  at  Schenectady  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  palisade,  provided  with  gates,  years  of 
undisturbed  peace  had  made  the  colonists  careless, 
and  at  night  the  gates  were  usually  left  open.  On  a 
winter  night  the  French  swooped  down  upon  the 
hamlet  and  killed  60  of  the  inhabitants,  only  about  25 
escaping,  while  the  village  was  burned.  Ivater,  the 
place  was  rebuilt  but  for  many  years  conditions  in  the 


54  The  Dutch  in  New  Netherland 

valley  remained  unsettled,  until  the  taking  of  Canada 
by  the  English,  and  it  was  quite  customary  for  the 
farmers  to  start  for  their  work  in  the  field  armed  with 
muskets. 

Though  the  famous  pirate,  Captain  Williani  Kidd, 
Captain  Kidd  was  not  of  Dutch  descent,  and  has  no  connection  with 
the  story  of  the  Dutch  in  America  (nothwithstanding 
he  married  a  Dutch  lady)  he  has  become  such  a  hero 
of  folklore,  especially  in  the  youthful  mind,  that  in 
filling  out  our  canvas  we  must  not  omit  to  mention 
him  here. 

During  the  period  of  which  we  have  spoken,  piracy 
on  the  high  seas  had  been  of  regular  occurrence,  and  as 
the  colonies  did  not  have  enough  men-of-war  to  pro- 
tect shipping  along  the  coast,  it  had  become  customary 
to  provide  private  vessels  with  commissions  as  pri- 
vateersmen  to  pursue  pirates.  Such  commission  was 
granted  by  Governor  Bellomont  of  New  York  to  Captain 
William  Kidd,  but  soon  afterwards  the  news  reached 
the  Governor  that  the  privateersman  had  turned  pirate 
himself.  This  lasted  for  about  two  years,  when  Cap- 
tain Kidd  had  the  audacity  to  appear  with  his  ship  in 
Boston  Harbor,  where  he  was  seized  and  imprisoned. 
He  appealed  to  Governor  Bellomont,  claiming  that 
whatever  he  had  done  on  the  high  seas,  had  been  done 
on  the  strength  of  his  commission  as  privateersman, 
and  that  certain  English  vessels,  which  had  myster- 
iously disappeared,  had  not  been  molested  by  him. 
The  action  of  Governor  Bellomont  in  this  matter  gave 
rise  to  the  rumor  that  he  had  shared  part  of  the  plunder 
and  therefore  endeavored  to  protect  Captain  Kidd, 
who  afterwards  confessed  to  some  of  his  crimes,  re- 
sulting in  the  discovery  of  some  of  his  booty  in 
Gardiner's  Island  in  I/ong  Island  Sound.  Captain 
Kidd  was  subsequently  hanged,  and  it  is  claimed  that 


and  The  United  States 


55 


Mutual  friend- 
ship of  the 
Dutch  and 
EInglish  people 


a  large  part  of  his  plunder  still  lies  buried  in  the  sand 
along  the  Long  Island  coast,  awaiting  discovery  by 
some  lucky  adventurer  who  may  happen  to  strike  the 
right  spot. 

Although,  during  the  term  of  existence  of  New 
Netherland,  differences  continually  arose  between  its 
Governor  and  those  of  the  neighboring  English 
Colonies  regarding  territorial  rights,  the  Dutch  and 
English  people  had  always  been  on  a  good  footing 
with  each  other,  and  it  is  for  this  reason  that  in  after 
years,  under  the  English  Governors,  no  distinctly 
Dutch  party  existed,  as  such,  in  opposition  to  the 
English  factors.  There  was,  however,  the  party  of 
the  People,  clamoring  for  freedom  and  the  right  to  be 
represented  in  the  affairs  of  the  Government,  as  op- 
posed to  the  ro3-alists  who  sided  with  the  agents  of 
the  Government  across  the  water,  and  it  was  with  the 
former  party  that  the  Dutch  sided,  with  few  excep- 
tions. 

There  was,  of  course,  the  Dutch  Church  party,  but 
this  was  a  matter  of  religion,  as  they  insisted  on  the 
right  to  worship  in  their  own  way,  without  the  inter- 
ference of  the  Government,  which  tried  to  force  the 
Episcopalian  Church  upon  the  colonies  ;  and  in  this 
opposition  the  Dutch  sided  with  the  English  Puritans, 
not  on  account  of  intolerance  towards  the  Episcopali- 
ans, to  whom  they  bore  no  malice,  but  on  account  of 
the  old  principle  that  full  freedom  in  matters  of  re- 
ligion should  be  allowed,  to  all  the  People  without 
interference  on  the  part  of  their  Rulers. 

In  relating  the  story  of  the  Dutch  in  America,   we 

should  therefore  have  to  fall  back  upon  the  narrative  The  Dutch 

of  the  exploits  of  those  individuals  who,   during  the  Revolutionary 

course  of  later  events,   especially  shone  out  amongst  war 


56  The  Dutch  in  New  Nether  land 

their  fellow  citizens  ;  this  would  lead  us  a  good  deal 
further  than  space  permits.  It  may  be  said,  however, 
that  during  the  Revolutionary  war  the  Dutch  of  New 
York  carried  their  share  of  the  burden,  and  did  their 
full  duty  by  the  community  of  which  they  formed  a 
part. 

And  if  in  the  historical  records  we  find  afterwards 
only  comparatively  few  Dutch  names,  it  should  not  be 
forgotten,  that,  compared  with  the  total  population 
of  the  United  Colonies  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  the 
Dutch  formed  only  a  small  percentage,  owing  to  the 
cessation  of  emigration  from  Holland  after  the  fall  of 
New  Netherland.  The  development  of  the  East  and 
West-Indian  possessions,  and  the  many  wars  in  Eur- 
ope in  which  Holland  engaged  in  after  years,  de- 
manded the  services  of  so  many  of  her  sons,  that  few 
could  be  spared  to  add  to  the  population  of  the  colonies 
of  a  foreign  power. 

When  we  read,  howevei,  auout  the  eager  endeav- 
ors of  the  English  authorities  during  the  revolution  to 
capture  the  Dutch  Domines,  it  may  be  concluded  that 
the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  as  under  the  rule  of  the 
West  India  Company,  had  remained  a  political  factor, 
and  that  the  followers  of  this  faith  were  amongst  the 
foremost  fighters  in  the  ranks  of  the  Continental 
Army.  We  may  further  mention  the  name  of  General 
Schuyler  as  one  of  the  prominent  American  leaders; 
he  had  already  given  proof  of  his  valor  in  the  war  of 
the  English  against  the  French  in  Canada.  There  is 
further  Simeon  de  Witt,  who  was  geographer  in  the 
army  and  afterwards  rose  to  the  rank  of  staff  officer  of 
General  Washington.  Later,  after  the  war  was  over, 
he  became  Surveyor-General  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

It  was  in  these  days  of  struggle  that  the  new  Com- 
monwealth   received    support    from    its  elder-sister 


and  The  United  States 


57 


republic  in  Europe — Holland,  in  December  1780,  mak- 
ing a  treaty  whereby  the  Independence  of  the  United 
States  was  acknowledged,  leading  to  relations  of  re- 
ciprocal friendship.  It  was  further  agreed  that  if 
England  should  make  war  on  Holland,  the  latter 
country  and  America  should  assist  each  other,  and 
that  no  peace  should  be  made  without  mutual  consent, 
and  this  was  soon  followed  by  an  open  declaration  of 
war  with  Holland  by  England,  thus  adding  one  more  to 
her  enemies  who  should  harrash  her  on  the  high  seas. 
A  similar  treaty  had  been  made  with  France  two 
years  previous  but  it  should  be  mentioned  that  at  the 
time  of  the  treaty  with  that  country  the  outlook  for 
the  final  success  for  America  seemed  favorable,  while 
at  the  time  of  the  alliance  with  Holland  the  Contin- 
ental Army  had  suffered  many  reverses.  For  years, 
the  Dutch  had  been  aiding  the  Revolutionists  and  most 
of  their  war  supplies  had  been  brought  into  the 
countr}-  by  way  of  the  Dutch  West  Indian  Colonies. 
It  was  in  these  Colonies,  at  the  island  of  St.  Eusta- 
tius,  on  November  the  16th,  1776,  that  the  flag  of  the 
new  Republic  was  first  saluted  by  a  Foreign  Power. 

The  support  of  the  Dutch,  however,  was  not  confined 
to  the  making  of  a  treaty;liberal  sums  of  money  were 
loaned  to  the  new  Republic,  and  when,  in  after  years, 
these  sums  were  repaid  to  a  total  of  about  $14,000,000, 
they  were  invested  in  lands  in  western  New  York  and 
Pennsylvania,  which  were  developed  under  the  man- 
agement of  the  Holland  Land  Company. 

After  the  war  was  over  and  republican  ideals,  which 
brought  with  them  religious  freedom  and  public 
schools,  had  triumphed,  the  necessity'  of  sticking  to- 
gether as  people  of  one  race,  with  its  own  church,  had 
vanished;  this  resulted  in  a  gradual  neglect  of  the 
mother-tongue  and  about  in  1800  the  Dutch  language 


Support  from 
Holland 


The  Dutch 
language 
ceases  to  be 
spoken  in 
America 


58  The  Dutch  in  New  Netherland 

ceased  to  be  spoken  in  the  erstwhile  Dutch  com- 
munities, English  having  become  the  universal 
language. 

The  only  remnant  of  Dutch  Institutions  which  still 

exists    to-daj'    is    the    Dutch    Reformed    Church   of 

The  Dutch  America,    which,    as   an   organization,    had   certainly 

Reformed  flourished  steadily  enough  during  these  centuries  of 

Church  |-j-jg  changing  and  confusing  influx  of  foreign  elements. 

In  looking  back  upon  past  events,  it  is  with  feelings 

of  regret  that  we  note  how  our  own   proud   city,    and 

the   capital    of   our   state,    have   retained   the   names 

placed  upon  them  through  an  outburst  of  royal  vanity, 

names  which  have  no  historical  meaning  and  which 

should    have    vanished    with    the    cessation    of    the 

English  rule. 

We  cannot  help  feeling  that  the  old  names  New 
Amsterdam  and  Rensselaerwyk  (or  Beverwyk  as  it  was 
originallj'  called)  would  have  conveyed  to  posterity  a 
more  fitting  memory  of  the  past,  and  would  have 
commemorated  better  than  their  present  names,  the 
pluck  and  courage  of  our  ancestors. 


Our  narrative  has  so  far  related  the  historj'  of  the 
early  Dutch  settlers  and  of  their  descendants,  but  after 
the  recognition  of  the  United  States  of  America  by 
Europe,  these  descendants,  as  well  as  those  of  the 
English,  Swedish  and  other  early  settlers,  became 
Americans,  having  no  further  connection  with  their 
fatherlands,  so  that  we  cannot  class  them  any  more 
as  anything  but  Americans. 

In  speaking  therefore  of  the  Dutch  in  America,  in 
modern  times,  w'e  have  to  refer  to  such  Hollanders  as 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  since  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Republic,  and  the  following  pages  are 
devoted  to  this  new  class  of  settlers. 


and  The  United  States  59 

Sundry  causes  led  to  a  renewed  influx  of  Hollanders 
into  the  New  World  from  this  date,  the  first  being  Holland  i^and 
the  outcome  of  the  formation  of  the  Holland  Land  Company 
Company  referred  to  above,  which  induced  farmers  in 
Holland  to  leave  their  homesteads  in  the  old  country 
and  to  devote  their  energy  to  the  development  of 
lands  in  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  which  they 
offered  on  easy  terms. 

The  many  Dutch  names  on  the  map  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  such  as,  Barneveld,  Amsterdam,  Rotter- 
dam, Batavia,  Tromp,  Linklaen,  etc.,  facilitate  the 
task  of  locating  the  section  where  these  settlements 
were  originally  started.  From  this  time  dates  also  the 
arrival  of  Harmen  Jan  Huidekoper,  so  well  known  in 
the  circles  of  the  Unitarian  Church,  who  settled  in 
Meadville,  Pennsylvania,  where  the  JVIeadville  Theo- 
logical School  was  afterv\-ard  established.  It  was 
once  a  standard  saying  that  if  anybody  inquired  into 
the  basic  principles  of  the  Unitarian  faith,  the  answer 
would  be  '  'Nobody  knows  but  Huidekoper,  and  he 
won't  tell." 

A  further  tide  of  travel  toward  the  West  set  in  from 
Europe  on  account  of  the  political  disturbances  during 
the  Napoleonic  wars,  when  many  of  the  most  ardent 
champions  of  the  popular  part}'  considered  it  advisable 
to  leave  the  country  after  Holland  became  a  kingdom 
under  Napoleon's  brother  Louis.  Among  these  politi- 
cal exiles  were  Colonel  Adam  G.  Mappa  and  Adriaan 
van  der  Kemp,  the  former  becoming  afterwards 
agent  of  the  Holland  Land  Company,  while  the 
records  of  Ulster  County  Court  show  that  the  latter 
held  the  ofBce  of  Assistant  Justice  in  that  district. 

The  next  emigration  movement  took  place  about  50 
years  later,  in  1848,  and  we  regret  to   say   that  this 


60 


The  Duich  in  Nav  Nctherland 


Emigrration 
under  the  rule 
of  KiiiK 
William  I. 


Settlers  in 
Iowa  under 
Domine  Scholte 


Michigan  and 
Chicago 


was  caused  through  the  curbing  of  the  freedom  of  re- 
ligion, the  one  ideal  for  which  the  Dutch  had  fought 
so  long  a  struggle  and  which  in  former  years  had  been 
the  universal  merit  of  their  fatherland,  having  been 
instrumental  in  bringing  to  its  cities  so  many  exiles  of 
sterling  worth,  from  other  countries. 

After  the  throne  of  the  Corsican  had  been  over- 
thrown and  the  European  powers  were  once  more 
separated  by  their  former  boundaries,  Holland  re- 
mained a  kingdom,  but  this  time  under  the  rule  of  a 
descendant  of  the  house  of  Orange,  King  William  I. 
However,  the  business  of  being  King,  like  any  other, 
has  to  be  learned,  and  it  is  rather  remarkable  that  Wil- 
liam I.  did  not  realize  the  necessity  of  a  liberal  gov- 
ernment for  a  people  like  the  Dutch,  but  ignored  all  the 
experience  and  precedents  of  his  ancestors.  The  old 
form  of  representative  government  was  changed  to  a 
bureaucratic  rule,  which  was  enforced  with  an  iron 
hand,  and  the  aid  of  the  arm}',  and  which  lasted  until 
the  Dutch  Government  secured  his  abdication.  He 
was  succeeded  by  his  son,  who  ascended  the  throne 
under  the  title  of  William  II. 

In  the  meantime  several  pastors,  embittered  by  the 
persecution  which  they  endured,  gathered  their 
flocks  around  them  and  set  out  in  search  of  a  new 
home  where  they  might  find  rest  and  freedom.  Domine 
Scholte  led  his  faithful  followers  to  the  valley  of  the 
Mississippi,  in  Iowa,  where  they  settled  in  Pella,  from 
which  settlement  the  now  existing  Dutch  colonies  in 
Orange  City,  Sioux  Center  and  others  are  the  offspring 
of  later  date. 

Domine  van  Raalteled  his  constituents  to  the  shores 
of  lake  Michigan,  where  they  founded  the  commun- 
ities of  Grand  Rapids  and  Holland,  in  after  years  so 


and  The  United  States 


61 


well  known  for  their  furniture  industry.  Also  the 
Chicago  suburbs,  Roseland  and  Pullman  are  prin- 
cipally settled  by  emigrating  Dutchmen . 

Dutch  colonies  in  the  United  States  have  further 
sprung  up  through  the  formation  of  land  companies 
in  Holland,  which  peddled  out  their  large  purchases 
in  America  to  their  enthusiastic  fellow  countrymen, 
emigrating  in  the  hope  of  soon  doubling  their  wealth 
through  the  fabulous  yield  of  the  rich  virgin  soils  of 
these  territories.  Some  succeeded,  but  many  others 
discovered  the  truth  of  the  old  adage  "it  is  not  all 
gold  that  glitters,"  and  lost  all  they  had.  In  the 
eighties  for  instance,  quite  an  exodus  took  place  to 
far-off  California,  where  it  was  claimed  that  fortunes 
could  be  made  in  the  fruit  growing  business,  but 
when  at  last  the  new  orchards  began  to  yield  a  pro- 
duct, hard  times  set  in  and  no  buyers  could  be 
found  for  the  crops,  which  rotted  on  the  trees. 

Another  large  Dutch  centre  can  be  found  in  Pater- 
son,  N.  J.,  where  it  is  estimated  that  the  Dutch  colony, 
including  the  first  American  born  generation,  counts 
about  15,000  souls.  Jersey  has  always  been  a  Dutch 
section  from  the  time  of  the  first  settlement  of  that 
region,  and  many  who  intended  to  try  their  luck  in 
the  new  world,  were  naturally  drawn  to  surround- 
ings where  they  might  find  relatives  or  friends  who 
had  already  a  firm  footing  in  the  land  which  was  to  be 
their  second  fatherland.  They  were,  or  rather  are, 
the  emigrants  from  Friesland  and  Zeeland  especially 
who  may  be  found  in  Paterson,  and  the  casual 
stranger,  passing  through  North  Main  street,  would 
hardly  imagine  himself  on  American  soil  if  he  pays 
attention  to  the  names  painted  on  the  shop  windows, 
which  gives  the  street  more  the  aspect  of  the  principal 
thoroughfare  in  a  Frisian  village. 


Fruit  Growers 
in  California 


Paterson,  N.  J. 


62 


The  Dutch  in  New  Nethcrlayid 


Sayville,  !<.  I. 


Philadelphia, 
Pa. 


Extradition 
treaty  made  in 
1872. 


The  writer,  who  is  himself  a  PVisian,  remembers 
how  on  the  occasion  of  his  first  visit  to  Paterson, 
which  was  on  a  Sunday,  he  happened  to  be  in  this 
section  of  the  town,  just  at  the  moment  that  the  good 
people  were  leaving  church.  To  see,  in  this  far-off 
land,  the  women  with  their  national  headgear,  the 
well  known  "ooryzer"  and  to  hear  them  converse  and 
greet  each  other  in  their  own  familiar  style,  in  the 
language  of  our  own  northern  province,  was  a  real 
pleasure  and  it  was  even  with  a  certain  amount  of 
emotion  that  it  came  home  to  him,  how  even  here, 
only  an  hour  travel  from  the  hustle  and  bustle  of  the 
busy  surroundings  of  lower  Manhattan,  the  old  familiar 
cheer  for  ' '  Fryslan  boppe ' '  would  be  met  with  an 
enthusiastic  response. 

Another  characteristic  colony  which  should  be  men- 
tioned is  the  settlement  in  Sayville,  Long  Island,  on 
the  Great  South  Bay,  consisting  exclusively  of  Zee- 
land  oyster  farmers,  which  village  is  the  nucleus  of  the 
oyster  industry  on  Long  Island.  Like  many  other 
small  communities,  Saj^ville  may  boast  of  its  fore- 
most citizen  who  holds  more  or  less  the  same  position 
as  the  "squire"  in  an  English  village. 

Philadelphia  has  also  recently  come  into  the  fore- 
ground as  a  Dutch  community  with  its  "Holland 
Society  of  Philadelphia",  to  which  belong  the  many 
Hollanders  who  follow  a  course  of  study  at  the  Phila- 
delphia Dental  College,  and  who  are  destined  to 
spread  afterwards  in  the  old  world  the  fame  of  the 
advanced  scientific  status  of  American  dentistry. 

There  was  a  time  when  emigration  to  America  in 
Holland  was  looked  upon  as  being  more  or  less  a  dis- 
grace, casting  something  of  a  slur  on  the  character  of 
the  emigrant  who  set  forth  to  try  his  fortune  in  the 


and  The  Ujiitcd  States  63 

new  world.  The  origin  of  this  was  found  in  the 
fact  that  no  Kxtradition  Treaty  had  been  made  as  yet 
with  the  United  States,  which  still  offered  a  haven  of 
refuge  to  defaulters  or  others  who  were  fugitives  from 
justice  for  acts  committed  in  the  old  country.  More- 
over, if  there  was  a  black  sheep  in  any  family,  the 
most  convenient  waj-  to  get  rid  of  him  was  to  ship  him 
over  to  America  and  leave  him  to  shift  for  himself. 
Europe  is  comparatively  small  and  distances  short,  so 
that  a  social  exile  can  always  find  a  way  to  get  back 
to  his  relatives,  even  from  the  remotest  part  of  that 
continent,  an  enterprising  rascal  having  many  waj'S 
of  beating  his  way  back  to  the  fleshpots  of  Egypt, 
even  if  he  has  not  a  penn}'  in  his  pocket.  If,  how- 
ever, his  relatives  placed  a  large  sheet  of  water  like 
the  Atlantic  Ocean  between  themselves  and  the  delin- 
<iuent,  it  was  looked  upon  as  the  surest  safeguard 
against  the  possible  reappearance  of  the  afore  men- 
tioned black  sheep. 

An  Extradition  Treaty  between  the  two  countries, 
however,  was  signed  in  1872,  and  since  that  time  the 
United  States  were  closed  to  the  fugitives  from  Dutch 
justice. 

In  the  same  j^ear  the  "Nederlandsch  Amerikaansche 
Stoomvaart  Maatschappy"   or  in  English,    "Nether-      Holland 
land  American  Steamnavigation  Company"  was  or-      Amenca  l,ine 
ganized,  briefly  named  "Holland-America  Line." 

This  line  is  an  offspring  of  a  regular  service  insti- 
tuted between  Rotterdam  and  New  York  by  the  firm 
of  shipowners,  Messrs.  Plate,  Reuchlin  &  Co.  Their 
steamers  each  had  room  for  10  first  cabin  passengers 
of  which  two  overnight  had  to  be  accommodated  on  the 
benches  in  the  dining  saloon;  couches  which  were  too 
cold  and  too  uncomfortable  in  winter  time,  and  in 


64  The  Dutch  in  New  Nethcrland 

this  season  the  carn'ing  capacity  was  accordingly  re- 
duced to  eight  persons.  This  made  no  difference 
however,  as  in  winter  such  a  crowd  of  passengers  as 
ten  persons,  were  never  expected  to  materialize. 

The   Holland-America  Line  started  its  regular  ser- 
vice with  the  two  following  steamers  : 

S.S.  "Rotterdam"  with  a  tonnage  of  2,100  Tons 
S.S.  "Maas"  with  a  tonnage  of  1,800  Tons 

having  a  speed  of  10  knots  and  a  carrying  capacity  of: 

40  first  cabin  passengers, 
35  second  cabin  passengers , 
and  100/150  steerage  passengers, 

and  if  we  compare  these  tiny  ocean  carriers  wnth  the 
latest  leviathan  of  this  line,  the  S.S. ''Rotterdam,"  of 
24,170  Tons  Register  and  37,190  Tons  displacement 
(one  of  the  five  largest  vessels  in  the  Atlantic  pas- 
senger trade,  and  unsurpassed  by  any  steamer  in 
comfortable  and  luxurious  equipment)  we  must  con- 
gratulate the  enterprising  Directors  with  the  phe- 
nomenal success  of  their  line. 

In    mentioning    the    Dutch  mercantile  marine  in 
West  India  connection  with  the  United  States,  we  may  also  point 

Mail  to  the  progress  made  by  the  Royal  Dutch  West  India 

Mail.  This  company  originally  organized  a  regular 
mail  service  between  Amsterdam  and  the  Dutch  West 
Indian  colonies,  afterwards  extending  the  route  of 
travel  to  New  York  and  returning  again  to  Holland 
by  wa}'  of  the  West  Indies.  Since  last  year  a  separate 
weekly  service  has  been  opened  by  special  steamers 
between  the  colony  of  Surinam  and  New  York,  which 
vessels  have  been  especially  fitted  up  for  the  carrj-ing 
of  bananas  for  the  New  York  market,  while  they  also 
have  excellent  passenger  accommodation. 


and  The  United  Slates 


65 


During  the  latter  part  of  the  19th  century  we  have 
seen  a  renewed  emigration  from  Holland  en  masse, 
forming  Dutch  communities  in  certain  sections.  In 
recent  years,  such  emigration  has  ceased  and  those 
who  come  over  now,  come  as  individuals  prepared  to 
make  their  way  on  the  strength  of  their  personal 
merits. 

In  these  communities  there  exists,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  a  certain  amount  of  characteristic  Dutch  social 
life,  with  its  special  social  events  and  news.  These 
conditions  have  given  birth  to  several  Dutch  news- 
papers, which  in  general  outline  give  the  news  from 
the  Fatherland,  the  American  news,  and,  last  but  not 
least,  the  social  gossip  of  the  community.  There  are 
at  present  16  of  such  publications  in  the  United  States, 
divided  as  follows  over  the  different  states  : 

2  in  Paterson,  N.  J. 

1  in  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

1  in  Chicago,  111. 

2  in  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

1  in  Pella,  la. 

2  in  De  Pere,  Wis. 

3  in  Holland,  Mich. 

1  in  Kalamazoo,  Mich. 

2  in  Orange  City,  la. 
1     in  Sioux  Center,  la. 

Curiously  enough  there  is  no  Dutch  newspaper  in 
New  York  City,  but  it  should  be  added  that,  though 
there  are  several  thousand  Hollanders  in  greater  New 
York,  they  are  scattered  all  over  the  city,  and  differ 
greatly  in  social  status,  so  that  little  or  no  unit)^  exists 
among  them.  There  are  Dutch  bankers,  law>'ers, 
architects,  clerks,  artisans,  waiters,  in  short,  there 
are  Hollanders  in  almost  every  part  of  the  mercantile 


Holland  news- 
papers n 
America 


Conditions  in 
New  York  City 


Professionals 
as  emigrants 


66  The  Dutch  in  Nnv  Ncthcrland 

or  industrial  life  of  the  great  city  and,  taken  as  a 
whole,  they  are  reckoned  as  foremost  to  a  remarkable 
degree  amongst  their  colleagues  in  each  particular 
sphere  of  occupation. 

This  condition  not  only  exists  in  New  York,  but  we 
find  Hollanders  scattered  all  over  the  Union,  engaged 
in  the  most  varied  occupations.  Through  the  large 
financial  interests  of  Holland  in  several  of  the  Western 
Railroads,  quite  a  few  Dutchmen  are  connected  with 
these  enterprises.  In  Port  Arthur,  Texas,  a  Dutch 
land  company,  with  Dutch  employees,  is  engaged  in 
aiding  to  develop  this  port.  The  City  of  Galveston, 
almost  entirely  destroyed  by  the  great  hurricane  and 
flood  of  a  few  years  ago,  has  her  city  level  raised  by  a 
Dutch  contracting  firm.  In  Texas  we  find  Dutch  rice 
farmers  and  even  in  the  Dominion  of  Our  Lady  of  the 
Snows;  we  find  Dutch  importing  houses  in  the  cities 
of  Toronto  and  Winnipeg. 

In  a  "Holland-American  Almanac,"  published  in 
1883,  more  especially  written  for  the  benefit  of  intend- 
ing emigrants,  we  find  the  rather  curious  warning 
that  "there  is  no  bread  for  professionals  in  America," 
and  that  it  is  only  advisable  for  skilled  laborers  and 
servant-girls  to  come  to  the  United  States.  Though 
we  are  at  a  loss  to  understand  what  is  exactly  meant 
by  "professionals,"  we  presume  that  this  refers  to 
people  following  vocations  which  require  some  learn- 
ing. Perhaps  conditions  have  changed  since  then, 
but  if  our  interpretation  of  the  expression  cited  above 
be  correct,  we  might  point  out  to  the  writer  of  this 
almanac  many  examples  of  "professional"  men 
amongst  our  fellow  countrymen,  who  have  been  very 
successful  here.  In  fact,  there  is  room  for  all  pro- 
fessions, provided  the  young  men  who  come  over  here 


and  The  United  States  67 

possess  the  necessary  knowledge,  courage  and  perse- 
verance to  grapple  with  their  new  life  in  a  strange 
country.  The  population  of  the  United  States  in- 
creases j-early  about  one  and  a  half  million,  mostly 
through  emigration,  and,  as  the  optimistic  American 
is  wont  to  say  ''ive  need iheni  all.''''  This  country  is 
only  beginning  to  grow,  and  offers  plenty  of  opportu- 
nity for  those  who  come  with  the  firm  intention  of 
succeeding.  This,  as  a  matter  of  course,  depends  on 
personal  ability  and  inclination,  and  it  must  be  ex- 
pected that,  notwithstanding  the  opportunities,  the 
weak  ones  must  be  "failures"  and  fall  by  the  way, 
even  sooner  than  they  would  at  home,  where  the 
helping  hand  of  relatives  or  friends  may  be  more 
promptly  available. 

Referring  again  to  conditions  in  New  York  City, 
it  should  not  be  concluded  that  in  our  city  there  exists  Eendracht 
no  nucleus  of  Dutch  social  life.  Away  back  in  1864  MaaktMacht 
there  was  founded  the  society  "Eendracht  Maakt 
Macht,"  having  for  its  object  the  promotion  of  social 
life  amongst  the  Hollanders,  while  a  fund  was  further 
created  for  support  of  its  members  in  case  of  sickness 
and  for  the  defraying  of  funeral  expenses.  Most  of 
the  members  of  this  societ}^  however,  were,  (and 
are),  people  of  limited  means,  who  could  not  go  much 
further  than  the  occasional  hiring  of  a  hall,  where 
their  meetings  were  held,  and  their  annu.al  St. 
Nicholas  celebrations  took  place. 

Thus  matters  stood,  when,  in  1901,  some  of  our 
Hollanders  endeavored  to  bring  enough  of  the  scat- 
tered elements  together  to  organize  a  dinner  at  the 
"Holland  House,"  in  celebration  of  the  Queen's 
marriage  in  February  of  that  year,  which  proved  such 
a  success  that  it  was  decided  to  repeat  this  again  some 
time  during  the  next  winter  season. 


68 


The  Dutch  in  New  Netherland 


The  Nether- 
land Chamber 
of  Commerce  in 
America 


The  following  year  the  Hollanders  met  again,  this 
time  at  the  "Manhattan  Hotel,"  under  presidency  of 
Her  Majesty's  Minister  at  Washington,  D.  C,  W.  A. 
F.  Baron  Gevers.  At  this  gathering,  His  Excellency 
took  the  initiative  in  submitting  a  plan  to  bring  the 
several  Dutch  elements  of  this  city  permanently  to- 
gether, either  by  the  creation  of  a  Netherland  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  a  Club,  or  a  Benevolent  Society,  or 
all  three;  and  a  committee  was  at  once  appointed  to 
take  these  matters  under  consideration,  and  to  report 
at  a  later  date. 

Before  proceeding  with  our  narrative,  we  wish  to 
extend  a  word  of  thanks  to  Baron  Gevers  for  his  ini- 
tiative 4n  this  matter.  The  possibility  of  creating 
something  by  iinited  effort  had  often  been  disciassed, 
but   nobody  had  ever  seriously  tried  to  bring  it  about. 

Most  of  the  Hollanders  were  comparatively  strangers 
to  each  other.  The  writer  remembers  how  during  the 
first  years  of  his  sojourn  in  this  city,  he  only  occa- 
.sionally  met  any  of  his  fellow  countrymen,  owing  to 
the  enormous  distances  in  our  city,  and  the  great 
variety  of  occupation  of  the  Hollanders  in  New  York. 

The  first  outcome  of  the  deliberations  of  this  Com- 
mittee was  the  incorporation  on  May  the  28th,  1903,  of 
' '  The  Netherland  Chamber  ofCummerce  in  America, ' ' 
with  offices  at  68  Broad  Street,  which,  in  October  of 
last  year,  were  moved  to  136  Water  Street.  The 
Chamber  is  now  in  the  seventh  year  of  its  existence, 
and  during  that  period  has  received  numerous  in- 
quiries for  information,  as  well  from  merchants  in 
Holland  and  the  colonies,  as  from  exporters  and  im- 
porters in  the  United  States.  The  annual  reports 
give  a  synopsis  of  its  activities  and  events  have  shown 
that  the  Chamber  provides  for  existing  needs   in  the 


and  The  Ujiited  States 


69 


commercial  relations  between   the  United  States  and 
the  Netherlands. 

The  organization  in  now  engaged  in  a  campaign 
placing  before  the  public  the  facilities  of  the  port  of 
Willemstad  on  the  island  of  Curasao,  which  promises 
to  become  the  centre  of  maritime  traffic  in  the  Carib- 
bean sea,  after  the  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal,  and 
it  was  with  great  satisfaction  that  it  recently  learned 
of  the  formation  of  a  syndicate  in  Holland,  having  as 
object  the  enlarging  of  the  shipping  facilities  at 
that  port. 

The  formation  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  was 
followed  a  few  months  later  by  the  incorporation  of 
' '  The  Neilicrland  Club  of  Neiu  York, ' '  which  opened 
its  Club  building  at  47  East  25th  Street,  in  October  of 
the  same  year.  This  club  has  become  a  real  '  'Dutch 
Home"  in  New  York  and  is  now  the  rendezvous  of 
most  travelling  Hollanders  who  come  to  our  city. 

Many  a  young  Hollander,  who  has  come  to  New 
York  as  a  total  stranger,  has  profited  by  the  advice 
and  information  to  be  gathered  among  these  homelike 
surroundings,  which  formerly  he  would  have  had  to 
learn  by  hard  and  expensive  personal  experience,  and 
not  a  few  have  succeeded  in  obtaining  positions  through 
the  assistance  and  influence  of  acquaintances  made  in 
this  Club. 

It  was  through  the  initiative  of  the  officers  of  the 
Netherland  Club  that  H.  M.  protected  cruiser  "Gel- 
derland"  visited  the  port  of  New  York  in  the  summer 
of  1907,  and  the  enthusiastic  welcome  which  the 
officers  and  crew  received  on  that  occasion,  from 
Americans  as  well  as  from  Hollanders,  has  demon- 
strated the  bond  of  friendship  which  still  exists  so 
strongly  between  Old  and  New  Netherland. 


The  Nether- 
land Club  of 
New  York 


70 


The  Dutch  in  Netv  Nethcrland 


The  Nether- 
land  Benevo- 
lent Society  of 
New  York 


After  these  two  organizations  had  been  launched  in 
1903,  it  was  considered  inadvisable  to  attempt  at  the 
same  time  the  formation  of  a  benevolent  society,  as 
quite  a  demand  had  been  made  already  upon  the 
generosity  of  our  small  community,  in  order  to  get  the 
Chamber  and  the  Club  on  a  firm  footing.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1908,  the  project  was,  however,  brought  up  again, 
and  a  committee  appointed  to  prepare  the  necessary 
plans.  A  few  months  later  the  plans  were  complete, 
and  ''The  Netherland  Benevolent  Society  of  New 
York.''''  with  oiEces  at  11  Broadway,  was  organized. 
Her  Majesty,  Queen  Wilhelmina,  was  petitioned  to 
favor  the  new  society  by  becoming  its  Protectress, 
which  petition  was  favorably  received.  During  the 
first  year  of  its  activity,  following  the  financial  and 
commercial  panic  of  1907,  this  society  has  already 
done  a  good  deal  of  work,  by  either  assisting  stranded 
Hollanders  with  loans  in  ready  mone}',  by  procuring 
them  a  place  of  refuge,  or  by  aiding  them  in  ob- 
taining work. 

Though  these  organizations  are  now  well  under 
way  and  to  the  best  of  their  ability  endeavoring  to 
answer  the  purposes  for  which  they  were  created,  it 
should  not  be  imagined  that  are  all  as  prosperous  as 
might  be  the  case. 

In  our  colony  there  are  comparatively  few  who  are 
well  to  do,  so  that  the  burden  of  all  these  societies 
falls  on  the  one  small  community.  Also  the  work  to 
be  done  is  of  such  nature  that  it  has  to  be  taken  up  in 
turn  by  a  very  few  of  the  same  small  circle.  It  is 
therefore  of  the  utmost  necessity  that  they  retain  the 
support  of  their  patrons  in  Holland  and  of  all  those 
who,  directly  or  indirect!}',  reap  the  benefits  of  our 
activity  for  the  national  cause. 


and  The  United  States  71 

In  drawing  a   picture  of  social  life  amongst  the 
Hollanders  in  New  York,  we  niaj-  not  omit  to  mention      Our  Consul 
the  dean  of  our  colony,  Mr.  John  Rutger  Planten,  the      General 
Consul-General   of    the  Netherlands   in    New   York, 
who  has   now   been   in   the  consular  service  for  over 
35  years. 

During  these  years  he  has  gained  many  friends 
through  his  genial  manners,  universal  kindness  and 
his  ever  read)-  willingness  to  lend  a  helping  hand 
whenever  his  assistance  is  reqviested  to  further  a 
good  cause. 

The  general  respect  and  friendship  of  the  Dutch 
Colony  towards  him  was  demonstrated  by  a  reception 
tendered  to  Mr.  Planten  last  winter,  to  celebrate  the 
thirty-fifth  anniversary  of  his  appointment  as  Consul, 
and  when  Her  Majesty's  Minister,  Jhr.  Dr.  J.  Loudon, 
announced  that  Her  Majesty  had  commissioned  him 
to  inform  Mr.  Planten  of  Her  appreciation  of  his 
service,  as  a  token  whereof  She  conferred  upon  him 
the  order  of  "De  Nederlandsche  Leeuw,"  the  hearty 
cljeers  which  were  heard  told  better  than  many  written 
volumes  how  beloved  he  is  by  his  fellow  citizens;  we 
hope  sincerely  that  for  many  years  to  come  we  may 
have  him  among  vis. 

This  is,  in  short  the  histor}-  of  the  Dutch  in  these 
regions,  from  their  first  advent  to  the  present  day.  Advice  to 
Many  have  come  before  us  and  many  will  come  after  newcomers 
us,  and  it  is  more  especial!}-  for  the  latter  that  this 
booklet  has  been  written,  so  that  they  may  know,  be- 
fore starting  out  to  make  history  for  themselves, 
what  their  predecessors  have  done.  A  word  of  advice 
to  our  young  and  inexperienced  countrymen  who 
come  to  this  country  to  make  it  their  future  home, 
maj'  therefore  not  be  out  of  place.    They  will  come  to 


72  The  Dutch  in  New  Neiherland 

a  strange  land  with  a  very  mixed  population  and 
strange  manners,  materially  difTering  from  those  they 
knew  at  home.  They  will  be  apt  to  make  compari- 
sons and  the  sum  of  their  conclusions  will  always  be 
in  favor  of  conditions  in  the  fatherland.  Our  advice 
is, — don't  do  it, — make  no  comparisons, — take  things 
as  thej-  are,  for  all  your  criticism  and  grumbling  will 
not  make  things  different.  Whatever  you  may  think 
strange  or  unjust,  be  assured  that  there  is  a  reason 
for  it,  and  usually  a  very  good  reason,  too.  If  you 
don't  like  things  American,  you  may  be  certain  that 
America  will  not  change  because  you  do  not  approve, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  America  is  likely  to  change  you. 
Grumbling  and  dissatisfaction  with  things  as  they  are 
will  only  make  you  unhapp}-  and  unfit,  but  the  world 
will  go  on  just  the  same.  Just  as  American  ways 
may  seem  peculiar  to  you,  so  3'our  ways  may  seem  to 
Americans,  but  usually  they  will  be  too  polite  and  too 
experienced  to  make  any  remarks  about  it.  Therefore, 
in  critizising,  do  not  forget  that  it  may  be  once  again 
the  case  of  the  mote  and  the  beam.  When  you  are  in 
Rome,  do  as  the  Romans  do.  When  you  come  to 
America,  be  an  American,  and  you  will  soon  find  how 
much  good  there  is  in  this  country  which  is  not 
found  elsewhere.  If  a  country  offers  you  hospitality, 
it  may  expect  that  you  do  your  duty  hy  it  and  give  it 
your  hearty  co-operation.  Whether  Dutch  or  Eng- 
lish, German  or  Irish,  Swede  or  Italian,  Jew  or 
Gentile,  we  are  all  alike  and  all  have  to  give  the  best 
that  is  in  us  to  further  the  welfare  of  the  Union  and 
the  prosperity  of  the  country.  You  earn  American 
Dollars  and  eat  American  bread,  and  therefore,  be 
American.  Do  no  hold  aloof  because  the  strangers 
you  meet  have  other  ideas  and  other  views  of  things 
than  you  have.     Mingle  vdth  the  crowd  and  they  will 


and  The  United  States  73 

soon  cease  to  be  strangers,  their  ideas  will  become 
yonrs  and  yon  will  feel  at  home  and  learn  to  appre- 
ciate what  at  first  looked  irrational .  At  the  same  time, 
be  a  Hollander,  b^-  upholding  the  dignity  of  our 
Nation  and  our  ancestors,  as  it  has  been  upheld  for 
centuries  b}-  those  Americans  who  are  descendants  of 
the  first  Dutchmen  who  settled  here.  Do  not  forget 
that  the  past  is  gone  forever  but  that  the  future  lies 
before  us.  Conditions  have  changed  and  there  are 
no  more  new  lands  to  be  discovered,  but  in  other  ways 
there  is  plenty  of  opportunity  to  push  forward  and  to 
spread  the  name  of  the  people  of  Holland  as  a  people 
of  integrity  and  sterling  merit.  We  have  no  right  to 
stand  forever  on  the  record  of  our  ancestors  but  we 
ourselves  will  some  day  be  history  of  the  past,  and  it 
is  up  to  us  to  see  that  our  descendants  can  look  back 
upon  us,  the  pilgrims  of  the  latter  days,  with  the 
same  pride  as  we  do  upon  our  ancestors. 

Before  concluding  we  wish  to  extend  a  heart}-  wel- 
come to  ovir  countrymen  who  have  undertaken  the 
long  voyage  across  the  ocean  in  order  to  be  with  us 
during  our  celebration,  and  we  hope  that  our  en- 
deavors may  have  aided  them  in  recalling  those 
events  of  the  past  which  go  to  make  this  tercentennial 
celebration  an  occasion  of  such  importance  for  our 
State  and  Citv. 


New  York,  September  10,  1909. 


ALBERT    HEPP    &    CO. 

PRr  NTERS 

N  EW    YORK    CITY 


University  of  California 

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LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA  90095-1388 

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